The engineer said that he did not know if the meter had been set to zero before they started travelling (Representative Image). | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Key Highlights An engineer had to pay Rs 4,300 for taking an autorickshaw from Pune's Katraj to Yerwada The engineer is from Bengaluru and had come to Pune for a job The autorickshaw driver told the victim that he had to pay Rs 600 to enter Pune and Rs 600 to leave the city

Pune: An autorickshaw driver from Pune charged Rs 4,300 from a passenger, who was travelling from Katraj to Yerawada in the city, on Wednesday. The engineer said that he had taken the autorickshaw at 5 am in the morning and that he had decided to pay according to the meter.

Not a native of Maharashtra, the engineer had come to Pune from Bengaluru for a job. He had been offered a company accommodation near Yerwada police station.

According to the engineer, his bus had dropped him at the Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass at 5 am on Wednesday. He then tried to book a cab but none of the vehicles was available. Meanwhile, the engineer noticed that an autorickshaw was approaching. He said, "One man drove the autorickshaw, while another on the passenger seat, who was actually the driver, appeared to be drunk. The driver said he asked his friend to drive to avoid any difficulty with the police."

The engineer said that he did not know if the meter had been set to zero before they started travelling. When the journey ended, the two men sitting in the vehicle allegedly asked the engineer to pay Rs 4,300. The accused claimed that they had paid Rs 600 to enter the city and will have to pay Rs 600 to leave the city. The remaining Rs 3,100 was the fare they had charged for covering Rs 18 kilometres.

The engineer told the police that he paid the fare as the roads were empty and he was scared of the two men. He had noted the autorickshaw registration number. An officer of the Yerwada police station said, "We have received the complaint application and will forward it to the chowki (police station) concerned. They will search for the suspects and take action."

Autorickshaw driver demands money for liquor, robs passenger when refused

A similar incident came to light from Pune in May this year when a group of six people allegedly robbed the passenger of an autorickshaw. The victim had taken the autorickshaw from Pune railway station to Urali Kanchan.

The autorickshaw driver allegedly stopped near the Akashawani area of Hadaspur and demanded money for alcohol. When the victim refused, the driver allegedly hit him with a stone. Following this, the driver made a phone call to his associates.

Five men came to the area and started threatening the victim. They robbed him of Rs 700 cash and mobile phone and escaped. The victim then went to the police station and lodged a complaint against the accused. The police launched a search operation and nabbed the six men.