Cabin crew member raped in office cab on way to Hyderabad airport, driver arrested

A 23-year-old cab driver has been arrested for allegedly raping a 37-year-old cabin crew member of a private airline after diverting the vehicle assigned to transport her to Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), police said. The incident occurred on July 20 at around 2.40 pm when the woman boarded an airline-arranged cab from Shamshabad to the airport to report for duty. According to investigators, instead of following the designated route, the driver steered the vehicle towards an isolated stretch near an under-construction site on the outskirts of the airport.

Police said the driver stopped the vehicle after telling the passenger he needed to step out briefly. He allegedly returned moments later, entered the rear seat of the cab and sexually assaulted the woman. In a statement, Shamshabad Assistant Commissioner of Police V. Sreekanth Goud said the accused got out of the vehicle, came back within a few minutes and allegedly forced himself on the survivor inside the cab. Investigators said the woman resisted the assault and eventually managed to push the accused away. She then opened the car door, escaped from the vehicle and raised an alarm, attracting the attention of a nearby worker. The accused allegedly fled the scene in the cab.

The survivor subsequently reached the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Police Outpost and lodged a complaint. Based on her statement, police registered a case under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of rape and assault, and launched a search for the suspect. The accused, identified as Errapogu Prashanth Kumar, a resident of Telangana's Rangareddy district, was arrested on July 21. Police said he allegedly admitted to the offence during questioning. After a medical examination, he was produced before a local court, which remanded him to judicial custody. The cab involved in the incident was operated by a local transport agency contracted by the airline to ferry employees between the airport and designated pickup points.

Following the incident, police said they have advised the airline to review and strengthen safety measures for employee transportation, particularly for women staff travelling to and from the airport. The airline is cooperating with the investigation and has extended assistance to the survivor. Further investigation is in progress.