Bengaluru Cab Driver Accused of Assault After Mistaking Woman's Kombucha for Beer

A 30-year-old woman has accused a cab driver of misbehaving and grabbing her hand after mistaking her bottle of kombucha for beer during a ride from Koramangala 5th Block in Bengaluru. The incident, which occurred on June 21, resulted in the passenger attempting to escape from the moving car.

According to the police complaint, the passenger, Sangeetha (name changed), is a resident of south-east Bengaluru and a native of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She had visited a restaurant in Koramangala 5th Block for dinner before booking a cab to return home at 9:30 p.m.

The journey was initially uneventful until the vehicle reached the vicinity of the Indian Christian Cemetery on Hosur Road. At that point, the passenger opened a bottle of kombucha, which is a fermented beverage.

The cab driver, identified as 60-year-old Parameshwar, allegedly assumed that she was drinking beer inside the vehicle. He began questioning her, which quickly escalated into a heated argument between the two.

As the confrontation intensified, the passenger asked the driver to stop the vehicle and end the trip immediately. However, the driver allegedly refused her requests and continued driving.

Fearing for her safety, the woman opened the car door and attempted to jump out of the moving vehicle. She alleged that the driver then grabbed her hand in an attempt to pull her back inside the car.

She eventually managed to break free from his grip and ran away from the scene. The driver allegedly drove off shortly after she escaped.

Following the incident, the Ashok Nagar police registered a case under Section 74, which pertains to assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty.

A senior police officer stated that the driver maintains the passenger was consuming beer. The police have served a notice to the driver, and the investigation is currently ongoing.