Attack on lady cabbie: Probe hits the wall

The investigation into the alleged assault of a lady taxi driver has come to a standstill due to the unavailability of Closed Circuit Camera Television (CCTV) footage with the police.

Working for Viira radio cabs, an all-women taxi service that operates from the Mumbai airport, Ruchita Patkar, a taxi driver, and her three colleagues were allegedly assaulted by a group of over 40 male taxi drivers. Sources said that the brawl started over their attempts to lure a passenger who was undecided about which cab to hire. “Our lady driver was brutally assaulted but MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd) is not giving us the CCTV footage,” said Zareena, a colleague of the victim.

During their investigation, the police decided to take a look at the footage captured by the CCTV camera installed near the parking area. “We have written to the MIAL asking for images but are yet to get it,” said a senior official from the airport police station.

However, MIAL officials said they would hand over the footage only after getting the approval of the Bureau of Civil Aviation and Security (BCAS), the central agency under the civil aviation ministry responsible for security-related policies in airports across India.