Mumbai Auto Drivers Beat Passenger Who Refused To Pay Extra Fare, 1 Arrested

The Mumbai Police have arrested one person in connection with the assault on a 21-year-old by three auto-rickshaw drivers outside Mankhurd railway station on Saturday.

The accused, Aqeel Yunus Shaikh, was arrested after a video of the incident went viral on social media, showing the auto-rickshaw drivers attacking the victim, Sohail Ansari, after he refused to pay extra fare.

The Mumbai Police made the announcement regarding the arrest on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“A case has been registered along with the arrest of an accused in an incident near Mankhurd Railway station where auto-rickshaw drivers were seen assaulting a passenger over a dispute on paying the extra fare. The search for other accused is on,” they said.

The post also included a picture of the auto-rickshaw driver assaulting the victim, with his face blurred out.

A senior police officer said two other suspects are on the run.

A viral video shows the three accused attacking Mr Ansari, with one of them using a belt to hit him.

Mr Ansari was repeatedly punched and thrashed with the waist belt on his chest and head, leaving him injured.

The accused also threatened Mr Ansari not to report the incident to the police, but he decided to file a case. 

In a similar incident in Bengaluru, an Uber driver and his passenger were harassed by auto-rickshaw drivers near Indiranagar Metro station.

The incident, which was captured on video, showed the auto-rickshaw drivers insisting that the passenger cancel his Uber booking and take an auto-rickshaw instead.

The drivers were seen pulling the passenger's backpack and attempting to slap him, while the Uber driver and passenger were subjected to abuse and threats.