Auto driver caught filming woman in Bengaluru

Close on the heels of the arrest of an Ola driver in Delhi for allegedly filming a passenger, a similar incident has come to light in Bengaluru.  Evidently, a woman named Akanksha Gautam caught her auto driver recording her on a phone which was taped to the vehicle. The lady's next step was to post about this on to Facebook (the post was removed later), explaining how the whole incident took place.

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On the night of July 24, Akanksha was trying to book a cab but it was raining heavily and unable to find a cab service, she decided to take an auto. Though “he was kinda creepy’ - Akanksha narrated in her post, but having no other way to go, she got into the auto. When the driver applied brakes near a pothole, Akanksha noticed a phone dropped from top of the auto and “the camera was on, on video mode, and also the flash was on”.

Akanksha Gautam's post on Twitter

Although scared to death, Akanksha stayed calm so that she could quickly reach her destination first. She even tried to get help from her friends. “Then he again stopped the auto and started apologising by touching my feet. While his face was near my feet I couldn’t help but kick him in his face and told him to keep going or else I would scream and call the cops,” she wrote. Unfortunately, the destination did not have any policemen so she called her friend. Meanwhile, the driver tried to snatch the phone from Akanksha’s hand. A couple of people came towards them but but instead of helping her, gave her suggestions to forget about it and not create a scene.

“I thought they’ll help, but NO! They started yelling at me to NOT make a scene and let the autowala go!” she writes.

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In the midst of all this, the auto driver succeeded finding an escape. Disappointed Akanksha then shared the driver’s details on social media and found a help on Twitter. A complaint has been lodged and the police are investigating the case.

“All this makes me so sad! What world are we living in! First of all we can’t really do much about these creeps walking around us like that, they are everywhere, and they will continue to do what they do until someone punishes them. Secondly, what about these boys who ganged up on me and told me not make a scene and let him go because he was apologising? Even after knowing what had happened! It’s like saying sorry after raping a girl and people supporting him because he is apologising?”, furious Akanksha wrote a post after a follow-up.

These incidents aren’t new in Bangalore, especially the allegations against auto drivers. Women safety is a constant issue in the city.

Feature Image Credit: theconversation.com

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