Ride-hailing apps under scrutiny
Ahmedabad: A 49-year-old taxi driver from Memnagar has approached cybercrime police alleging that his photograph was used without his knowledge to create a fake Ola driver profile in another person’s name and operate a different vehicle on the platform. The complainant, who has been driving taxis for 18 years, told police that he drives a Maruti Ciaz owned by a friend and is registered with ride-hailing platforms including Ola, Uber, Rapido and Bharat Taxi. The matter came to light on Oct 7 when the driver had gone to Terminal 2 of Ahmedabad airport to pick up a passenger, according to the FIR. The profile showed a vehicle with registration number GJ-12-CT-4747 and driving licence number UP1620100006120. He claimed he was using the phone to get trips for his employer’s vehicle, a red Maruti Swift Dzire bearing registration number GJ-27-TD-6916. The taxi drivers called the 112 emergency helpline, after which police took them to the airport police station.
One of the profiles carried the Memnagar taxi driver’s photograph but was registered in the name “Deepak”. When questioned, Irshad allegedly told the drivers that the phone belonged to his employer, Manoj Chaturvedi, also known as Ankush Bodyguard. He has been using the Ola app for the past nine months. He learned that another driver near the Airport Circle bus stand was using an Ola driver profile bearing the complainant’s photograph. So he went to the spot, where he and other drivers confronted a man identified as Irshad . On checking Irshad’s phone, they found multiple vehicle IDs registered on the Ola app. Police advised the Memnagar-based driver to approach cybercrime police, as the case involved suspected misuse of his photograph and digital identity.
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The complainant told police that many drivers discussed using such apps in groups and that some allegedly paid between Rs 1,500 and Rs 5,000 a month to manipulate their location and secure more rides. The FIR also mentions the alleged use of fake GPS apps by some taxi drivers to gain an unfair advantage in securing airport trips. Such apps let users spoof their mobile phone’s location, making the ride-hailing platform believe the driver is at or near a high-demand pickup point even when the vehicle is elsewhere. This can help drivers appear ahead of others in the booking queue and obtain trips before those actually waiting near the pickup point. Police have begun investigating the alleged creation of a fake driver ID, the misuse of the complainant’s photograph, the registration of multiple vehicle profiles, and the suspected use of location-spoofing apps on the ride-hailing platform.