Paytm says Vijay Shekhar Sharma's rash driving incident 'exaggerated'; 'No harm caused'

After reports of digital payment app Paytm’s co-founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s arrest in a rash driving case surfaced on Saturday, the fin-tech company, on Sunday, issued a clarification, terming the media reports ‘exaggerated’ and describing the accident as a ‘minor’ offence. 

In the official statement, Paytm stressed that the 'accident had not caused any harm to a person or property.' They further emphasised that Sharma was arrested for a ‘minor motor vehicle incident,’ and the offence came under the purview of a bailable legal provision. 

'No harm to person or property': Paytm clarifies

 "A complaint was filed in connection with an alleged minor motor vehicle incident. There was no harm caused to any person or property in the said incident. Media reports claiming the nature of the arrest are exaggerated, as even the complaint against the vehicle was for a minor offence under a bailable provision of law and requisite legal formalities were completed on the same day," the Paytm spokesperson said in a statement. 

This came after it was discovered that Sharma was arrested on February 22 for ramming his car into the South Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police’s vehicle and fleeing after the incident. His arrest was made under IPC Section 279 (rash or negligent) driving.

Reportedly, Sharma was driving a Jaguar Landrover that had hit South Delhi DCP Benita Mary Jaiker’s vehicle outside the Mother’s International School on Aurobindo Marg. The complaint against Sharma was lodged by Constable Deepak Kumar, posted as DCP Jaiker’s driver, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.

 "On February 22, the police received a complaint of a car ramming into the official vehicle of the DCP of South Delhi near Mother International School, Aurobindo Marg. After the alleged offence, the driver fled. The case under section 279 of IPC was registered on the complaint of Deepak Kumar for rashness and negligent driving," told the Delhi police spokesperson Suman Nalwa to ANI.

On the basis of the vehicle number and the description provided by Constable Kumar in the complaint, the police were able to detect that the Paytm co-founder was the owner and the driver of the car that had rammed into the DCP’s vehicle. The Delhi Police spokesperson further informed that soon after police found Sharma’s involvement, he was arrested and his car was impounded. Soon after, Vijay Shekhar Sharma was released on a bail.

The FIR lodged by the police described the incident as follows: "At that time, there was traffic jam outside Mother International School as school students were crossing the road. At the same time, Sharma's car had hit the DCP's vehicle from behind and the driver fled from the spot."

(Image: PTI)