OLA cab driver in coma, owner hurt after attack by gang

Hyderabad: A 26-year-old cab driver is fighting for his life after being attacked with cricket wickets and repeatedly punched in the face by a group of seven people, including an intoxicated passenger who allegedly refused to pay his fare.

They also attacked Paravatal, the car owner, who had arrived on the scene, and locked them both in a room. The victim, Y. Venkatesh, is being treated in a city hospital after going into a coma as a result of serious head injuries, while the condition of the car owner is stated to be stable.

The attack was so brutal that blood was spattered across the road at the spot. Nobody in the neighbourhood knew what had happened as they huddled in terror. A video of the men thrashing the driver went viral on social media.

The accused M. Vivek Reddy, a used car dealer, booked the cab from Gurrumguda to Upparpally at around 11.30 pm, according to Rajendranagar police. When he arrived, Vivek Reddy refused to pay the fare and threatened the driver. He asked Venkatesh to into the lanes where his friend would give him Rs.1,000, according to the police.

When the cab pulled into a lane, around seven of Vivek Reddy's friends attacked Venkatesh. One of them punched him repeatedly in the face, causing severe bleeding injuries. Later, the driver was confined in one of the accused's rooms in Upparpally and was mercilessly thrashed again.

The victim made a distress call to Paravatal, the cab owner. Paravatal was also assaulted by Vinay Reddy when he arrived at the scene and confined them. The driver and the owner escaped from the illegal confinement and reported the incident to the Rajendranagar police.

Venkatesh, a resident of Nagarkurnool who had moved to the city 20 days back due to loss in agriculture, was staying in a rented room in B.N. Reddy Nagar Paravatal. He was studying for the sub-inspector (SI) exam with the goal of becoming a police officer and had taken coaching classes during the day and drove a cab at night to earn money for his tuition fees.

Police sources claimed that Vivek Reddy was heavily drunk when he got into the taxi. The breathalyzer test on Vivek Reddy showed a reading of 330.

Through the CCTV footage, the police were able to identify the seven accused and took them into custody. Vivek Reddy and others have been charged with attempted murder and illegal confiement, according to Y Srikanth, a sub-inspector with the Rajendranagar police.