The Nainital Police on Saturday arrested a 39-year-old taxi driver for allegedly attempting to rape, assault and rob a 22-year-old woman tourist from Delhi near Haldwani in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district.
The suspect was identified as Deepak Singh Bora, a resident of Fatehpur Mukhani in Haldwani. Police said the stolen mobile phone was recovered from Bora and the taxi used in the crime was seized.
Senior Superintendent of Police Manjunath TC said the woman had arrived in Haldwani by bus from Delhi via Dehradun on March 5. From Haldwani, she travelled to Kathgodam by auto and hired a taxi for Nainital at around 11 pm.
According to police, at around 1.30 am near Valdiyakhan on the Nainital road, the driver allegedly diverted the vehicle towards the deserted road of Patwadangar instead of heading to Nainital. “When the woman protested, the driver stopped the car, misbehaved with her, assaulted her and allegedly attempted to rape her. He also snatched her mobile phone to prevent her from informing anyone. The woman managed to escape and hid in the forest through the night,” an officer said.
Police said local women spotted the tourist on the morning of March 6 and informed the police before taking her to the Tallital Police Station.
A police and forensic team later inspected the spot and collected evidence.The woman received medical treatment at a government hospital.
Based on her complaint, an FIR was registered against an unidentified taxi driver under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
“Using CCTV footage, police identified the taxi with registration number UK04TB 5500 and tracked it through its GPS system. The driver was arrested from Bhawali near Pines on Saturday,” SSP Manjunath said.
“The safety of tourists and the public is a top priority in Nainital. Strict legal action will be taken against those who commit such crimes,” the SSP said.