Bengaluru: Uber driver held for kidnapping minor

BENGALURU: The HSR Layout police on Sunday night arrested the Uber cab driver in connection with the kidnapping of a 15-year-old student. The driver had abducted the boy on Friday while he was returning from tuitions and had abandoned him near a hotel in Whitefield in the evening. The driver, Tabrez, 30, hails from Bagalur in Tamil Nadu and was staying in Sarjapur. He had joined Uber around three months ago. During the investigation, it came to light that the minor had taken a share ride and had paid for it. The police are yet to ascertain the reason for the abduction. Though the boy told the police that the driver snatched his phone and threatened him, the driver didn’t harm him, demand ransom or assault him. “We are questioning the driver and are yet to find the motive behind the abduction.

The boy will also be summoned for questioning again,” said a senior police officer.  On Friday evening, the victim — a Class 9 student of a private school — had attended tuitions in HSR Layout. Around 6.30 pm, he booked the taxi on his phone to head back to his house in Whitefield. But instead of following the usual route, the driver started heading towards Anekal and allegedly threatened the boy to remain silent. The driver, however, ran out of luck when the anxious parents informed the police.