In a rather unsettling incident from Bengaluru, a man named Omang Agarwal found himself in a precarious situation that sounds like it's straight out of a thriller movie, but with a modern twist. Agarwal accused a Rapido auto-rickshaw driver of essentially holding him 'captive'.
The bone of contention? A payment issue that turned a regular ride into an hour-long ordeal.
Agarwal, who revealed he is dealing with a foot fracture and a lung infection, was unable to leave the auto, making the situation dire.
He took to X and shared a screenshot showing his attempts to contact Rapido's support team, which unfortunately seemed as responsive as a brick wall.
"I was held hostage by @rapidobikeapp rider for hours and they had no security feature to help me. He had an issue with the UPI payment. I've a breathing issue and broken leg, I couldn't escape. Their app has no SOS if the ride has ended. Only escaped when I dialed 100," he wrote on X.
I was held hostage by @rapidobikeapp rider for hours and they had no security feature to help me.
— Omang Agarwal (@mango_sax) February 26, 2024
He had an issue with the UPI payment. I've a breathing issue and broken leg, I couldn't escape.
Their app has no SOS if the ride has ended.
Only escaped when I dialed 100 pic.twitter.com/4ZOnmEhTkQ
"What a shame @sankaaravind @regards_rishi Please help these apps and their teams accountable @blrcitytraffic @CPBlr What's next rapido? Assaults/Rapes? Making it a life mission to remove rapido from every friend's phone," he wrote in a series of posts.
What a shame @sankaaravind @regards_rishi
— Omang Agarwal (@mango_sax) February 26, 2024
Please help these apps and their teams accountable @blrcitytraffic @CPBlr
What's next rapido? Assaults/Rapes?
Making it a life mission to remove rapido from every friend's phone.
Agarwal's critique of Rapido didn't stop at the lack of an SOS feature; he also pointed out the company's history of not taking meaningful steps to ensure passenger safety, calling their efforts "shameful."
@rapidobikeapp will introduce the most shameful SOS parameters just to do the bare minimum but not help meaningfully.
— Omang Agarwal (@mango_sax) February 26, 2024
I don't buy that you don't have the unit economics to help passengers with safety measures.
Shamefulhttps://t.co/MfRpUtCitZ
Police reaction
Within a few hours, the post, which went viral with over 85,000 views, sparked a conversation online, with netizens rallying behind Agarwal, urging Rapido to improve their support and safety measures.
Even the Bengaluru Police got involved, offering advice on how to file a formal complaint and providing emergency contact information for distress situations.
Please file a written complaint at your nearest Police station they take necessary action in this regard, In case of distress/ emergency situation, dial #Namma 112
— ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice) February 26, 2024
Netizens reaction
However, a group of netizens blamed Omang Agarwal as they didn't understand the situation.
"The way you're putting this out wahhhh. Cool rapido doesn't have 🆘 blame them bhai. The auto driver held me hostage bc. Unka Ghar uspe hi chaltha hai na meri jaan. Thoda cash rakho aapke paas. Bina Paisa tho wo aap ko bhej nahi sakta na. Rapido ka galti ho sakta hai, not drivers," a user wrote.
To this, Agarwal replied, "Dada, paisa mil chuka tha usko. His brother had used his Gpay credentials and switched bank accounts. He just found that out, was angry and blaming me for creating fake account. Also 'BC' ? like seriously???"
"Why do the RR on social media? And what the hell is this new culture of tagging police stations on Twitter as if they are sitting on Twitter all the time? Go to a police station and file a FIR. Can you show the FIR? Or is it too troublesome to go through the process? Bas Twitter pe ao dus log ko tag karke RR machao, kam khatam. Kaleje ko full thandak, raat ko chain ki neend," another wrote.