Cabbie held same day as incident, Gurugram cops rebut viral delay claims

Police said the driver was produced before court, sent to judicial custody, and the cab was seized following a complaint at Sector 50 station.

A cab driver accused of misbehaving with a woman passenger had been arrested on December 15 itself, the day the incident took place, and the case predates the circulation of a related video on social media, police said on Sunday. Officers added that the clarification was issued after the video went viral and triggered public outrage, stressing that there was no delay in action. 

The accused was booked under BNS sections for voyeurism and insulting a woman’s modesty after a passenger sought help via helpline 112. (File photo)

Officials said the driver was questioned, produced before a court and sent to judicial custody, while the cab used in the incident was seized and remains in police custody. 

According to police, the incident took place on December 15 at around 6 pm when the woman boarded a cab from her office to return home. During the journey, the driver allegedly behaved indecently, used abusive and derogatory language, and forcibly asked her to get out of the vehicle following an argument over lowering the volume of music and her being on a phone call. Alarmed by the driver’s aggressive behaviour, the woman dialled the emergency helpline number 112 seeking police assistance. 

Based on the woman’s complaint, a case was registered the same day at Sector 50 police station under sections 77 (voyeurism) and 79 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Acting on the complaint, police arrested the accused, identified as Pankaj Singh, 22, a resident of Bhaini Maharajpur village in Rohtak, on the night of December 15. 

During questioning, the accused admitted that a verbal altercation broke out after the passenger asked him to lower the music volume, following which he misbehaved with her, police said. He was subsequently produced before a city court and remanded to judicial custody. 

A video related to the incident later surfaced and was widely circulated on social media, creating an impression of delayed police response. Police said this prompted the clarification. 

“Stern and prompt action was taken immediately after receiving the complaint. The accused was arrested the same night, and the cab used in the incident was also seized. There has been no delay or laxity from the police side,” said Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram Police.