Bengaluru: A routine cab ride home allegedly turned into a frightening ordeal for a 30-year-old woman after the driver reportedly mistook her kombucha, a fermented beverage, for beer and got into an argument with her, leading to a dramatic escape from the moving vehicle.According to a complaint filed by Sangeetha (name changed), a resident of south-east Bengaluru and a native of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, she had been to a restaurant in Koramangala 5th Block. After having dinner, she booked a cab to go home at 9.30pm on June 21.The journey was uneventful until the cab reached the vicinity of the Indian Christian Cemetery on Hosur Road. She opened a bottle of kombucha inside the cab. However, the driver, identified as Parameshwar, 60, allegedly assumed that she was consuming beer and began questioning her. What started as a misunderstanding soon escalated into a heated argument, she claimed.As tensions rose, Sangeetha asked the driver to stop the vehicle and end the trip. However, the driver continued driving despite her requests. Fearing for her safety, the woman claimed she opened the car door and attempted to jump out of the moving vehicle, but the driver grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back into the vehicle.The woman eventually managed to free herself and ran away from the spot, while the driver allegedly drove off soon afterwards.Based on her complaint, Ashok Nagar police have registered a case under Section 74 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty). A senior officer said the driver, however, maintains that the passenger was consuming beer. He has been served a notice, and further investigation is in progress.
