A serious case of fraud in the name of cab aggregator Ola has come to light at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. In a joint operation conducted by the Sahar Police and Ola officials, a driver was caught red-handed for illegally ferrying passengers using another driver’s Ola ID. The accused has been arrested and further investigation is underway.
According to the police, Ola had been receiving continuous complaints in recent days that certain drivers were picking up passengers from the airport premises through fake bookings. Acting on these complaints, a strict inspection drive was launched by a joint team of Sahar Police and Ola executives at the Level P-4 pickup point of the airport.
On February 28, at around 2:00 am, a car arrived at the designated pickup point. When the driver was asked to show the Ola booking details, discrepancies were found between the vehicle number and driver’s name displayed on the mobile app and those of the car and driver present at the spot. This raised suspicion, following which the driver was questioned in detail.
During interrogation, the accused was identified as Mangesh Malge (26). He confessed to accepting ride bookings using another individual’s Ola ID and transporting passengers illegally. Investigation further revealed that he had allegedly misled passengers on several previous occasions using the same modus operandi, thereby compromising passenger safety and causing financial losses to the company.
The police have seized the mobile phone used for generating fake bookings. Sahar Police have taken the accused into custody along with the vehicle and registered a case against him under relevant sections pertaining to cheating and fraud.
Police are now probing whether an organized racket is operating behind such fraudulent activities. Meanwhile, both Sahar Police and Ola have appealed to passengers to verify the vehicle number, driver’s name, and Ola ID before boarding a cab to avoid falling victim to such scams.