{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Woman heading home to Panvel allegedly molested by cab driver near Navi Mumbai airport, accused on the run",
  "summary": "A woman travelling alone in an online cab near Navi Mumbai airport was allegedly molested by the driver, who tried to pull off her clothes before she managed to escape and get a case registered.",
  "content": "A woman traveling home in an online cab was allegedly molested by the driver just a few kilometres from Navi Mumbai airport, with the accused attempting to pull off her clothes inside the moving vehicle. Following her complaint, the Navi Mumbai Airport police station has booked cab driver Mohammad Afzal Sheikh under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police say the incident took place late Saturday night on the airport's service road. The accused remains at large, and officers are using mobile location tracking and other technical means to trace him.\n\nCab halted on the service road while she was heading home from Chembur\nAccording to the complaint, the victim had gone to Chembur to attend a party with friends, and one of them booked an online cab for her return journey to her home in Panvel. She was travelling alone in the back seat when, around 1:30 am, the cab reached the service road roughly two kilometres before the airport. The driver allegedly pulled over on the pretext of wanting to drink water and stepped out of the vehicle. Moments later he returned, but instead of getting back behind the wheel, he climbed into the back seat beside her. She alleges that he then grabbed her hand and tried to forcibly remove her clothes.\n\nShe screamed for help but the road was deserted\nThe woman told police she screamed as loudly as she could to fend him off, but there was no one around on the isolated stretch to hear her. She eventually managed to open the door and get out of the car, then called her family to tell them what had happened. She first went to the Panvel police station to lodge a complaint, but since the spot falls under the jurisdiction of the Airport police station, Panvel police drove her there themselves, and it was only at the Airport station that the case was formally registered.\n\nCab safety for women again under the scanner\nThe case has reignited concerns over how safe online cab rides really are for women travelling alone late at night. It has also renewed scrutiny of the safety measures cab aggregators and related agencies claim to have in place for passengers passing through deserted or poorly lit stretches, and whether those measures actually work in practice. Police say the hunt for the driver is being pursued on multiple fronts, with investigators leaning on his phone's location data and other technical leads to track him down, even as they continue examining additional evidence gathered from the scene.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThe case is a fresh reminder of how risky a late-night solo cab ride can turn out to be for women.\n\n• Across India: Women booking online cabs alone at night should keep sharing the cab's live location continuously with family or friends, and should note down the driver's photo, vehicle number and the cab company's emergency helpline in advance.\n• In Navi Mumbai and Panvel: Passengers travelling through isolated stretches like the airport service road will need to stay extra alert. Local police may step up patrolling and surveillance in the area, offering some relief to those moving around at night.\n• Lesson on filing complaints: The victim was first sent to the wrong police station before reaching the one with jurisdiction; knowing which station covers a given stretch, or simply approaching the nearest station for help, can save valuable time in an emergency.\n• Pressure on cab aggregators: The incident is likely to increase pressure on cab aggregator companies to tighten driver verification and in-app safety features, a change that could eventually benefit every passenger.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. When and where did this incident happen?\nIt happened late on Saturday night on the Navi Mumbai airport's service road, about two kilometres before the airport.\n\n2. Who is the accused?\nThe accused has been identified as cab driver Mohammad Afzal Sheikh.\n\n3. Where was the woman travelling from and to?\nShe had attended a party in Chembur and was returning by online cab to her home in Panvel.\n\n4. What did the accused allegedly do?\nHe allegedly stopped the car on the pretext of drinking water, then grabbed the hand of the woman seated in the back seat and tried to remove her clothes.\n\n5. How did the woman escape?\nShe screamed for help, then managed to get out of the car and called her family.\n\n6. Where was the case registered?\nShe first went to the Panvel police station, but since the incident fell under the Airport police station's jurisdiction, the case was registered there.\n\n7. Under what law was the case filed?\nThe accused has been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.\n\n8. Where is the accused now?\nHe is currently absconding, and police are using technical investigation to trace him.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/maharashtra/panvel-lauta-rahi-mahila-ke-satha-kaiba-men-badasaluki-aropi-draivara-pharara-28878",
  "category": "Maharashtra",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-07",
  "tags": [
    "Navi Mumbai",
    "cab safety",
    "molestation",
    "Panvel",
    "Mohammad Afzal Sheikh",
    "women safety",
    "online cab"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}