Taxi driver arrested for attempted rape, robbery of woman tourist in Nainital

my uttarakhand news Bureau
Nainital, 7 Mar: A major incident involving an attempted rape and robbery of a woman tourist came to light in Nainital late last night, following which the police carried out a swift investigation and arrested the accused taxi driver within 10 hours. Acting promptly in the case of an attempted rape and robbery of a woman tourist in Nainital, the police arrested the accused taxi driver within a few hours of the incident. The accused had allegedly taken the woman to an isolated road, assaulted her and snatched her mobile phone. The arrest was made on the basis of CCTV footage and the technical evidence collected during the investigation.
SSP Nainital Manjunath TC today shared the details of the case with the media. He said that on Thursday, the woman tourist had travelled from Delhi to Haldwani by bus via Dehradun. From Haldwani, she took an auto-rickshaw to Kathgodam and hired a taxi from there to travel to Nainital.
According to the police, at around 1.30 a.m. near Valdiyakhana, the taxi driver diverted the vehicle towards the isolated Patwadangar road instead of heading towards Nainital. When the woman objected, the driver allegedly assaulted her and attempted to rape her. The accused also snatched the victim’s mobile phone so that she could not inform anyone about the incident. The woman later told the police that when she raised an alarm, the taxi driver fled from the spot. Out of fear, she ran towards the nearby forest area and spent the entire night there.
Yesterday morning, the victim managed to inform the police with the help of the local residents. On receiving the information, the police reached the spot, secured the scene of the crime and called the forensic team to collect evidence. Based on the complaint filed by the victim, a case was registered at Tallital police station under Sections 64, 309(6) and 137 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following instructions from SSP Manjunath TC, a police team was formed to trace and arrest the accused. During the investigation, the team examined CCTV footage from the surrounding areas and began tracking the vehicle bearing registration number UK04TB 5500, a WagonR car. Using GPS data and other technical evidence, the police located and arrested the accused from the Pines area on Bhawali Road.
The arrested accused has been identified as Deepak Singh Bora, 39, a resident of Gujaroda Fatehpur under Mukhani police station in Nainital district. On the basis of his disclosure, the police recovered the mobile phone looted from the victim. The vehicle used in the crime has also been seized.
The SSP asserted that ensuring the safety of tourists and women remains the top priority of the police and strict legal action will be taken against those found guilty in such cases.
During the investigation it also emerged that the accused had strained relations with his family members, who had allegedly asked him to leave the house due to his behaviour. The police further found that the taxi owner had not conducted police verification of the driver before employing him. The police are now considering action against the taxi owner and will write to the department concerned recommending cancellation of the taxi permit.