Kerala Uber driver attacked by men posing as passengers

Amballur native Rakesh Vijayan was hit on his head with a metal rod by two male passengers who then fled with his car.

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Thrissur police on Tuesday filed a case against two unidentified men who thrashed an Uber driver and robbed him of his car. The men, who booked a ride with the driver Rakesh Vijayan in the wee hours of Tuesday, attacked the driver and fled with his car. Rakesh was hit on his head by metal rod by two men passengers, was pushed out of the vehicles and they fled with the car.

According to officials of the Pudukkad police station, the incident took place around 1 am on Tuesday.

“The two men booked the cab from the transport bus stand in Thrissur city to Amballur. On reaching an isolated place near Pudukkad, they hit the driver on his head and left with the car,” a police official told TNM.

Rakesh, who suffered a head injury, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Thrissur.

According to the statement given by Rakesh to the police, the behaviour of the passengers had raised suspicion.

“The driver is a native of Amballur, so he knows the place. He said that the end location that the two passengers had mentioned did not exist in or around Amballur, raising his suspicions. They were also talking to someone over the phone throughout the ride. Rakesh then told them that he will drop them off in Pudukkad. However, when the cab was at an isolated location near Pudukkad, the two attacked him,” the official said.

Rakesh, luckily, was conscious even after getting hit on the head. “He called his friend and then that person informed the police. Our patrolling team was just three kilometres away from where Rakesh was. He was taken to the hospital from there,” said the official.

The highway police were alerted after the incident. With the help of Ernakulam rural police, Rakesh's car was found within hours near Kalady in Ernakulam district. “They (the two men) took the cab towards Ernakulam side, so we alerted Angamaly police station and were able to chase down the car. But the men managed to run off, leaving the car behind,” the official added.

A case has been registered against the unidentified duo on charges of robbery. The police have started to collect forensic details to identify the persons through fingerprints. CCTV visuals are also being analysed to nab the two miscreants.

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