A woman who was travelling in an app cab with her brother on Saturday evening was allegedly molested by the driver and then assaulted when she protested the driver's behaviour.
The 28-year-old woman mentioned in the complaint lodged with Amherst Street police station that she had booked the app cab at 6.20pm to travel from Maniktala to her ancestral home near Jagat cinema in Sealdah.
"The driver allegedly arrived late to pick up the woman and her brother. The woman wrote in the complaint that the driver made lewd gestures through the looking glass throughout the journey. When she protested, he stopped the car somwhere on Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road," said an officer at Amherst Street police station.
The cab driver allegedly made a few phone calls asking his friends and associates to join him at the spot.
"The woman and her brother stepped out of the cab. But before they could react, the driver allegedly assaulted the woman and pulled her by her hair. The app cab driver also allegedly assaulted her brother," the officer said.
The woman reportedly told the police that the driver snatched her gold chain, jumped into the car and drove away.
"The woman has written in the complaint that the driver snatched her gold chain weighing around 20g and sped away even before she could make a distress call to the police. She has also alleged that the car sped away in front of a traffic cop who was deployed at the crossing," said an officer in the north division of the city police.
The woman and her brother then went to Amherst Street police station to lodge a complaint.
"A case has been started against the driver of the app cab, whose number the complainant has given us," said an officer.
Until Sunday evening, no one was arrested.
A senior police officer said they had contacted the app cab association and are trying to identify the driver.
"We always encourage women passengers to remain alert and dial 100 if they face any problem while travelling. A case under IPC sections dealing with outrage of modesty, assault and criminal intimidation has been registered with the police," said an officer of the rank of assistant commissioner.