How a ₹22 Sting Ride in Nagpur Dragged Rapido's Three Founders Into a Police Case In Nagpur, an RTO officer posed as a customer and booked a Rapido bike ride for just ₹22, then seized the bike on the spot. An FIR has since been registered against Rapido's three founders at the Sitabardi police station. What played out in Nagpur looked like something straight out of a movie. To crack down on bike taxi services running without permits across Maharashtra, a transport department officer posed as an ordinary passenger and booked a Rapido ride for just ₹22, and that tiny fare turned into a big legal headache for the company. Following the secret operation, an FIR has been registered at the Sitabardi police station in Nagpur against the three founders of the company behind the Rapido app, Rishikesh SR, Pawan Guntupalli and Aravind Sanka. No Permit To Run The Service According to the complaint, Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, the parent company of the Rapido app, holds neither the Maharashtra government's nor the Regional Transport Authority's (RTA) permission or legal permit to operate a petrol bike taxi service in the state. Despite that, the company was putting private petrol bikes to commercial use, ferrying paying passengers. How The Trap Was Set The episode dates back to 23 June, when the Nagpur (city) Regional Transport Office launched a special drive against illegal passenger transport. During the operation, Motor Vehicle Inspector Vishal Madhukarrao Bhovte opened the Rapido app on his own phone and booked a ride from Ravi Bhavan to Priyadarshini Colony, with the fare showing up as only ₹22. Within minutes a bike pulled up at the designated pickup point. The moment the officer got on as a passenger, the team surrounded the vehicle. It was taken to the RTO office for inspection, which confirmed that the privately registered white-plate two-wheeler was being run like a taxi without any of the required commercial licence or permit. The RTO seized the bike on the spot. The Sections Invoked The three promoters have been booked under sections 318(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections 66, 93, 192A, 193 and 199 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Section 66(d) of the Information Technology (IT) Act has also been added for running an illegal network through the app. What this means for you • Across India: A tighter crackdown on permit-less bike taxi services could disrupt or halt these cheap rides in several cities. • In Nagpur: Riders running bike taxis like Rapido in the city risk having their vehicles seized and facing legal action. Questions & Answers 1. Where and when did this whole incident take place? It happened in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on 23 June, when the city's Regional Transport Office ran a drive against illegal passenger transport. 2. For how much did the RTO officer book the ride? Motor Vehicle Inspector Vishal Madhukarrao Bhovte booked a ride from Ravi Bhavan to Priyadarshini Colony for just ₹22. 3. Who has the FIR been filed against? The FIR was registered at the Sitabardi police station against the three founders of the company behind the Rapido app, Rishikesh SR, Pawan Guntupalli and Aravind Sanka. 4. What is the company accused of? The allegation is that parent company Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited had no permit to run petrol bike taxis in the state, yet was using private bikes commercially. 5. Which sections have the police invoked? The three promoters have been booked under BNS sections 318(3) and 3(5), Motor Vehicles Act sections 66, 93, 192A, 193 and 199, and section 66(d) of the IT Act. 6. What was found about the seized bike? The inspection showed the white-plate private two-wheeler was being run like a taxi without a commercial licence or permit, and the RTO seized it on the spot. https://trendkia.com/en/business/mahaja-22-ki-raida-bani-rapido-ke-tina-phaundarsa-ki-musibata-nagpur-men-darja-hui-fir-4557 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.