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Uber cab driver gets jail for life for raping woman executive

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Photo illustration of logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone over a reserved lane for taxis in a street in Madrid

New Delhi: An Uber cab driver was today sentenced to life imprisonment till his natural death for raping a woman executive in his taxi 11 months ago by a Delhi court.

The court awarded the maximum sentence for the offence which endangered the life of the 25-year-old woman.

32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav was given the life imprisonment by Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja who held that the convict while raping the victim abducted her with an intent to compel her for marriage.

“Convict (Yadav) is sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life which shall mean imprisonment till his remaining natural life for the offence under section 376 (2)(m) (committing rape causes grievous bodily harm) of the IPC,” the judge said and also imposed a fine of Rs 21,000 on him.

The court also directed the Delhi Legal Services Authority to give compensation to the victim and to take care of the family of the convict.

Moments after pronouncement of the judgment, Yadav, his wife, father and two minor daughters started crying inconsolably.

His wailing wife also fainted in the courtroom.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the night of December 5 last year when the victim, a finance executive working in Gurgaon, was heading back to her house at Inderlok in Central Delhi.

The accused was arrested on December 7, 2014 from Mathura. The prosecution had produced 28 witnesses in the case.

(PTI)

Delhi Uber rape victim files lawsuit in U.S court

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uber-cab

Washington: A Delhi woman allegedly raped by an Uber driver last December has filed a lawsuit in a US court accusing the web-based US taxi firm of focusing on profits over the safety of its passengers.

In a 36-page complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California Thursday, the woman seeks to “slam the brakes on Uber’s reckless worldwide expansion at the unfortunate expense of basic customer safety.”

The lawsuit which identifies the victim only as Jane Doe, also seeks compensation “for the horrific and brutal rape that she suffered due to Uber’s inadequate and disingenuous ‘commitment to safety’.”

Demanding a trial by jury, the lawsuit seeks a “a permanent injunction directing that Uber take all affirmative steps necessary to remedy the effects of the unlawful conduct” alleged in the complaint, “and to prevent repeated occurrences in the future.”

It also seeks an award of unspecified amount of punitive damages to be determined at trial, plus prejudgment interest, to compensate the victim “for all physical, monetary and/or economic harm.”

Her New York based Douglas H. Wigdor, in a statement said: “Uber’s focus on its bottom line over the safety of its passengers has resulted in what can only be described as modern day electronic hitchhiking.”

“We intend to hold Uber responsible for the significant physical and emotional harm it has caused to our client, while simultaneously seeking a court order mandating that Uber initiate certain safety precautions that they appear unwilling to do voluntarily,” he said.

“We hope that this lawsuit will bring about positive change that will ultimately protect people worldwide who are unaware of the serious risks of entering into an Uber car,” Wigdor added.

Jeanne M. Christensen, another Wigdor LLP lawyer said: “San Francisco Uber executives’ decisions to cut costs at the expense of customer safety forced our client to pay the ultimate cost in New Delhi.”

“Her brutal rape by an Uber driver who was a known repeat sexual predator was a result of a global Uber policy that has far-reaching consequences,” she said.

“We intend to hold Uber accountable for violence that could easily have been avoided had even a minimal background check been conducted.”

An Uber spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with the victim of this horrific crime. We are cooperating fully with the authorities to ensure the perpetrator is brought to justice.”
The accused driver Shiv Kumar Yadav is currently on trial on rape and kidnapping charges in Delhi.

Delhi banned Uber and several other web-based taxi firms for failing to carry out adequate driver checks in early December.

But last week Uber announced resumption of its services in Delhi sayinmg it had applied for a radio taxi license and would improve safety by introducing features such as an “in-app emergency button”.

(IANS)

Police to use mini drones in Delhi to protect women

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Delhi Police deployed camera-equipped drones for surveillance in riot-affected areas of Trilokpuri on Oct. 28. Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

Delhi Police deployed camera-equipped drones for surveillance in riot-affected areas of Trilokpuri on Oct. 28. Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

New Delhi: Delhi police will deploy mini drones fitted with night vision cameras to patrol the streets of the capital to make the city safer for women.

After the rape of a 27-year-old finance company executive by an Uber cab driver was reported last week, the police has decided to patrol dark stretches and crime prone areas with the help of drones which will be fitted with night vision thermal imaging cameras, said Press Trust of India.

“With this project, North Delhi will become the first district with complete camera surveillance in Delhi. This would be achieved with the combined range of CCTVs and drones,” the report quoted a senior police official as saying.

Every drone will fly at 200 meters high and will cover an area of three to four kilometers, said the report.

The project will be launched in north district area of the city by next month.

Background check made compulsory for Bengaluru cab drivers

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Bangalore Taxi

Bengaluru: Police Tuesday made background check compulsory for cab drivers to ensure safety and security of citizens, especially women using taxi service for commuting across the city, a top official said.

“We have directed all taxi operators in the city to do a thorough background check of drivers employed with them and not to employ any drivers without verifying their service record with us,” Bengaluru police commissioner M N Reddi told reporters here.

The decision was taken at a meeting state transport commissioner Ramegowda had with senior police officials, cab operators and taxi unions here in the wake of an alleged rape of an woman executive by a cab driver in Delhi December 5.

“Cab operators and taxi owners will be liable if they are found employing drivers without background check,” Reddi said.

“They must submit a list of their drivers (employed) to the jurisdictional police stations with a copy of their (drivers’) profile, including details of driving licence, temporary and permanent residential address, educational qualification, mobile number and a health certificate to ensure their professional conduct.”

Reddi told cab operators and taxi owners that their permit would be suspended by the transport department if customers lodge serious complaints against drivers of misbehaving, rash driving, using foul language or acts of criminal misconduct.

Meanwhile, Ramegowda instructed officials of the regional transport offices (RTO) across the city to conduct regular checks on cab drivers and suspend their licences if they do not carry the requisite documents, including insurance cover and registration certificate.

Delhi: 25 year old woman raped in Uber cab, accused was arrested in 2011 sexual assault case

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No background check was done on the driver

A woman in Delhi was raped in an Uber cab which she had hired using the app

A woman in Delhi was raped in an Uber cab which she had hired using the app

New Delhi: New Delhi woke to another heinous news on Saturday morning as a 25-year-old woman was raped in a Uber cab that she reportedly hired from Vasant Vihar area after returning from a Gurgaon hotel party.

A Uber cab driver has been by the police.

Incidentally, he was earlier arrested in a 2011 sexual assault case. Shiv Kumar Yadav served 7 months in Tihar jail but he was acquitted by the court. Yadav also did not possess a Delhi driving permit.

According to the police complaint, the victim who works as an MNC employee in Gurgaon, had finished her shift at 7 pm on Friday after which she attended a dinner party at a restaurant there with her friends.

Her friends dropped her in Vasant Vihar area from where she hired an Uber cab at around 9.30 pm and in the way, dozed off on the back seat of the cab, the police said citing the complaint.

The woman woke up only to find that she was being raped while the doors were locked and the car was stopped at a secluded place between Sarai Rohilla and Indralok, said the complaint. She

The driver then went on to threaten that he would kill her and also sexually assault her with a rod if she shouted. The driver then dropped her home, warning her not to inform police or anyone or he would kill her.

According to the police, the woman had managed to click the picture of the cab from her cell phone as the cab driver sped off after dropping her near her home.

A case has been registered at Sarai Rohilla police station under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.

The incident poses a big question mark on the reliability of Uber cabs that boast of ensuring passengers’ safety as its highest priority and claim to hire “licensed driver-partners to provide a safe transportation option”. According to reports, there was no GPS system in the cab and no background check had been done on the driver.

Expressing regret over the incident, Uber cabs issued a statement saying they were “deeply disturbed” by the crime and had suspended the driver’s account immediately.

In a statement, Uber spokeswoman Evelyn Tay said that the company was working with the police to help in the investigation.

“Our thoughts are with the victim of this terrible crime… We will assist them in any way we can. It is also our policy to immediately suspend a driver’s account following allegations of a serious incident, which we have done,” read the statement.

“Safety is Uber’s highest priority and in India, we work with licensed driver-partners , with layers of safeguards such as driver and vehicle information, and ETA-sharing to ensure there is accountability and traceability of all trips that occur on the Uber platform,” the statement added.

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