A woman who had hired an app cab last Saturday saw the driver speed away with her bag containing cash, which she had withdrawn from an ATM during the trip, while she was taking out other belongings from the boot.

The app cab driver, identified as Ramashish Kumar, 24, was arrested on Tuesday evening based on the woman’s complaint.

Police said Jyoti Sharma, 32, had hired the app cab from Chandni Chowk to travel home to the Regent Park area. On the way she withdrew money from an ATM kiosk near the Rashbehari gurudwara.

“The driver saw the passenger withdraw money from an ATM and was looking for an opportunity to steal her wallet. When she reached her destination, the passenger stepped out to retrieve her belongings from the boot, leaving her bag and a water bottle on the rear seat of the car. The driver took advantage of the situation and sped away,” said an officer of Regent Park police station.

Sharma ran after the car and alerted passers-by, but Kumar sped away. Apart from Rs 10,000, the bag contained Sharma’s identity documents, including her Aadhaar card.

Armed with the registration number and other details of the car, the police launched a search for the accused and tracked him down to Deshapran Sashmal Road, near MR Bangur Hospital, on Tuesday evening.

The police found Sharma’s Aadhaar card in the driver’s wallet and Rs 3,600 was found in the dashboard.

Kumar, the police said, was originally from Gaya in Bihar and was staying in Tangra.

Senior officers said it was best not to leave any personal belongings inside a hired vehicle while stepping out even for a few minutes.

“Since the vehicle in this case was an app cab and details of the vehicle and the driver were available, it was comparatively easier to track it down. Things get complicated when similar incidents happen in yellow cabs and complainants fail to provide the vehicles’ registration numbers,” said a senior police officer.