Pune:
She was on her way to a job interview at Hinjewadi, the IT hub that's 40 kilometres away from Pune. Infosys has an office here, so does Wipro.
The 25-year-old MBA graduate moved to Pune a month ago from the US with her husband. It was a Thursday evening, and like always, public transport to Hinjewadi was near-impossible to find. The woman was staying with relatives in Wakad, half-way between Pune and the IT park where she was headed.
So when three men in a taxi offered her a lift, the woman gladly accepted. For the next four hours, she says, she was driven around by them while they held her hostage in the car. Then, at 8 pm, they bought themselves some beer and biryani. They then drove to a deserted spot and raped her for the next four hours. When they were tired, they dropped her off on the roadside.
The woman made her way home to her relatives, who summoned the police.
Two men, including the driver, have been arrested, mainly because the victim remembered the car's license plate number. The third man, who's still missing, is the main accused in the case. It turns out he is wanted in 11 other criminal cases including robbery and extortion.
Because the public transport system in Hinjewadi is notoriously poor, people often tend to hitchhike. However, most companies who are based here have formally warned their employees not to accept lifts.
In 2008, an employee of IBM claimed she was gang-raped by the driver of a company cab assigned to take her home. In 2007, a WIPRO employee was raped and killed by another company cab driver.
Similar instances in the call centre offices in Gurgaon near Delhi saw companies introducing new safety measures in cabs, like sending guards in office casr to ensure women employees are not alone with drivers.
The companies at Hinjewadi say they are following similar methods, including detailed background checks for their drivers.