On Monday morning, when 22-year-old Arijita Banerjee’s father booked a cab for his daughter, little did he know he was booking her a ride that would turn out to be a nightmare!

Arijita, an engineer, had gone to her sister’s house in Bengaluru’s Koramangla to spend the weekend. On Monday at 8.55 am, her father, who is in Kolkata, booked an Ola share cab for her to her paying guest accommodation in Nagawara, which is about 20 km away from Koramangla.

This is when the ordeal began for Arijita. After the cab was booked, she called the driver and asked him to call on her number when he reaches the pick-up location. He allegedly responded by saying, "You can call me on my number anytime madam."

Arijita said that the driver’s response made her feel uncomfortable but she couldn’t take a chance to book another cab as she was already getting late for work. She also said that she went ahead with the ride because she thought it was safe as there were other riders in the cab and it was morning.

Arijita said that after she sat in the car, the cab driver was driving at a speed of 10 km/hr. So, she and the other riders told him to speed up. The cab driver, Mohammed Azhardeen, then started driving rashly and above the speed limit of 40 km/hr. So, they asked him to drive properly. Soon, the other riders got down and the cab driver allegedly started making small talk with her.

After reaching Arijita’s destination, the cab driver asked for Rs 200 cab fare. "I told him Rs 70 was already paid. my dad has paid the rest through Ola money. This infuriated him and he started abusing me. My dad was on call with me, so I asked the driver to speak with him. Instead, he just snatched my phone and started telling my dad that he will go and drop me somewhere, implying he will sell me off," Arijita told India Today in a telephonic interview.

"I was really scared. He did not unlock the auto-lock feature in the cab, so, I was locked in the car for some time. He started telling my father, tumhari beti ko kaat ke fenk doonga [I will cut your daughter and throw her]," she added.

Arijita alleged the cab driver told her, "Mai tereko kahin chod doonga. Kaat ke phenk doonga. [I will leave you somewhere. I will cut you and throw you]."

Arijita alleged that when she asked for her phone back, he refused to return it. She said that she sought help from people nearby, but no one came forward to help her. Finally, she said she paid him Rs 500 and he gave her phone back. "Before leaving, I told him that I will ensure he doesn’t drive again. He then threatened me saying, I know where you live. I won’t leave you. Till I went in, he kept staring at my PG. I am now shifting from here."

Later in the evening, Arijita filed an FIR at the Police Station in Banaswadi. The accused was arrested. A copy of the FIR is with India Today.

The same day, Arijita’s father Subhendu Banerjee called Ola’s security department to report the incident. Arijita said that Ola responded by saying that they would send the driver back to training and won’t let him drive Ola cabs till he passes the training. On Thursday, an Ola representative called Subhendu Banerjee and informed him that the driver has been suspended and the company will support any legal action the police are taking against him.

After India Today contacted Ola regarding the incident, they issued a statement saying the company is in touch with the relevant authorities and have shared the necessary information to aid them in their ongoing investigation.

"We regret the unfortunate incident and immediately suspended the driver from the platform upon receiving the complaint. We confirm that Ola's safety response team has been in contact with the customer and continues to offer all the required support," an Ola spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru Police also confirmed the incident. A senior police officer said, "The victim filed a complaint with us on April 22 night. The victim told us that the Ola driver misbehaved with her after an argument over payment. We arrested the accused on April 23 and he is in jail. We have also seized his vehicle."