As part of modus operandi they would manipulate the GPS tracker through an old version of the app and show passengers that they had travelled more kilometres
Crime branch sent officers as dummy customers in these cabs. Representation pic
After tracking for days and trying to figure out the modus operandi used by some Ola drivers to cheat their passengers, the Crime Branch arrested three of them on Sunday for manipulating the GPS tracker on their phones to clock-in more kilometres and force passengers to pay more for their rides. The trio used to ferry passengers only from the Mumbai Airport to various places in Navi Mumbai and the cops suspect about 50 drivers of the cab aggregator to be involved in the racket, which they have been running since October last year.
According to cops, based on a tip-off the officers started working on the matter to understand the modus operandi of the drivers and how they would manipulate the GPS tracker using the Ola app. "We sent our officers as dummy passengers to understand how they were clocking-in more kilometres," said Vinayak Mer, senior PI, Crime Branch Unit 1.
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The officers took many rides with the suspected drivers to various locations and paid them as per the fare shown in the app. "We found that these drivers are only ferrying passengers travelling from the international airport to Panvel, Nerul, Sanpada, Kharghar, Kalamboli and Kamothe. On the way they stop at certain locations in Santacruz and Govandi and turn off the GPS tracker. Within a minute they start moving towards the location. We noticed that after switching off the GPS and switching it on again, it shows that the vehicle has moved to different locations before reaching that particular point in Santacruz or Govandi where the driver initially stops. And once you reach your destination, you will see a huge difference in the kilometres. For example, the distance from the airport to Panvel is around 42 kilometres but the tracker shows around 64 kilometres," said Mer. "We have arrested three drivers including the main accused," he added.
The Crime Branch has found out that the main accused was the mastermind of the racket. "He was found using the old version (2019) of the Ola app though the company has given them an upgraded one. He was the one to pass on the old version to the other suspected drivers and teach them the modus operandi. It's possible to manipulate the GPS tracker only in the old version," Mer further said.
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The CB officers also told mid-day that they would summon the Ola officials concerned to understand the technicality of the old app. "We will also see if this was happening in connivance with somebody from the company," an officer said.
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