Promised, threatened and then dumped: Rs 4,220 from airport to JP Nagar! 2 Bengaluru cab drivers take youth for a ride

BENGALURU: Two cab drivers duped a youth here on the pretext of providing him a cheaper ride home from the airport.The incident, which was reported to the police on June 23, happened when the victim arrived at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from Japan on June 20 and was looking to book a taxi to his J P Nagar home.Following the complaint, KIA police have arrested the two accused identified as Santosh, 46, and Kabiruddin, 33. They were remanded in judicial custody.According to the complaint filed by Pradeep Penakalapati, a builder from Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh, his son Sandeep, an undergraduate student, had returned from his trip to Japan and walked out of airport Terminal 2 around 1 am. While he was trying to book a taxi, Santosh approached him, offering a ride for Rs 1,000 – cheaper than what cab aggregators would usually charge.Once Sandeep agreed to the fare, the trip started with Kabiruddin, a native of Assam, behind the wheel.However, just a few metres into the ride, Kabiruddin passed his phone to Sandeep, saying there was a ride confirmation call that he needed to respond to. Soon, Sandeep realised it was Santosh at the other end of the call, claiming that the base price for the trip would be Rs 899, with Rs 50 charged for every km. Additionally, 1.9% of the total fare would be levied as night surcharge. Overall, a much higher amount than what was initially agreed upon.Sandeep disagreed with the amount and told Kabiruddin to stop the vehicle so that he could get down, but Kabiruddin continued to drive. He locked the doors and was speeding. He drove till Esteem Mall, turning a deaf ear to Sandeep's insistence to stop the car.Kabiruddin then stopped the car and demanded Rs 4,220. Realising he had been trapped, Sandeep made the payment without a fuss. Kabiruddin then dumped the baggage on the road and sped off.Upon reaching home, Sandeep narrated his ordeal to his father, who lodged a complaint with KIA police.A senior police officer confirmed that there have been complaints about drivers picking up passengers, offering cheaper rides from the airport, but eventually coercing them into paying much higher amounts.He even said that this particular name, Santosh, had figured in some of the other incidents as well, though no one had filed any official plaint against him.