Rapido rider slaps woman in Bengaluru after argument, video goes viral

A Rapido bike taxi rider was caught on camera slapping a woman passenger in Bengaluru allegedly after an argument over rash driving

An incident involving a Rapido bike taxi rider slapping a woman passenger during a heated argument has gone viral on social media.

 

The purported incident occurred on June 14 in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar area. According to the police, the woman, who works as a saleswoman at a jewellery store, was on her way to her workplace when she asked the Rapido rider to stop midway due to his alleged rash driving and repeated signal violations.

 

Things escalated when she confronted the rider. In the argument that followed, the woman reportedly refused to pay the fare or return the helmet, the police said. The driver then slapped the woman, due to which she fell on the ground.

 

 

Watch the video here:

 

WATCH: Rapido Driver Slaps Woman Passenger For Objecting To Rash Driving, Latter Falls To Ground; Video Goes Viral#Rapido #Bengaluru #Viralvideo pic.twitter.com/hUdrYDmMVA

— Vision Viksit Mumbai ???????? (@jatinjkothari) June 16, 2025

 

The police said both individuals were brought to the Jayanagar police station for questioning after the video surfaced.

 

“The woman claimed the rider was driving rashly and jumping signals. When she confronted him, a verbal exchange escalated and he slapped her,” a senior police officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

 

Despite police efforts to persuade her, the woman declined to file a formal complaint. However, authorities have registered a non-cognisable report (NCR) and issued a notice to the woman, urging her to file an official complaint so that an FIR can be registered and further legal action can proceed.

 

"The woman has not given any complaint in this regard. So, we have filed a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) in this matter. The rider has been questioned in this regard and legal action will be taken as per law," said Lokesh B Jagalasar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).

 

At the time of filing of this report, Rapido has not released any official statement regarding the incident. 

New CCTV footage shows woman hit rider first

 

Meanwhile, another CCTV footage surfaced hours later, allegedly showing the woman hitting the rider first during a confrontation. The new video appears to contradict the initial version.

 

The rider, who was arrested following the viral clip, later released a video offering his side of the story.

 

“She booked on Rapido in the morning at 9:00 am. I picked her up from her location; she was already speaking rashly, telling me where to go,” he said. He explained that he took a known shortcut through Jayanagar to help her reach on time. “I avoid the main road in Jayanagar so they don’t get late,” he was quoted as saying by India Today.

 

The rider recounted that a car suddenly stopped in front of him near her destination, which was about 100 metres from her office. “I told her I got her here faster. She didn’t let me speak and spoke very rashly.”

 

Admitting that he got upset, the rider confessed to making an inappropriate comment in anger. “So I got angry and said, ‘Go back to your country.’” He claimed she then hit him with a tiffin box and raised her hand again. “I know that we shouldn’t hit women,” he said. “But first, she hit me twice and raised her voice. I asked her to be soft too. I hit her once.”

 

He said the woman later made the payment, and he went to the Kushal jewellery store to report the incident, but the manager wasn’t present. “I explained to whoever was there that she was angry for no reason and raised her hand at me first,” he added.

   

 

Bike taxi ban in Karnataka

 

The incident comes at a time when Rapido has announced a suspension of its bike taxi services in Karnataka, following a recent directive from the Karnataka High Court.

 

“Starting June 16, 2025, our bike taxi services in Karnataka will be paused in compliance with recent High Court orders,” the company said in an in-app message to users.

 

Rapido stated it is working with the government to develop a compliant and sustainable framework and expressed concern for its captains, many of whom rely on the platform for their livelihood.

 

“We remain hopeful that our continued engagement with the government will pave the way for a viable framework for bike taxis and the millions of gig workers who depend on them,” the company said.

 

Bike taxi services on other platforms like Ola and Uber also appeared unavailable following the ban.

 

(With PTI inputs)