Delhi Uber 'rape': Taxi company ignored warnings about driver days before alleged attack

A female passenger complained about Shiv Kumar Yadav's behaviour

The receipt from another passenger driven by Shiv Kumar Yadav. Nidhi Shah/Twitter (Nidhi Shah/Twitter)

A woman has claimed Uber ignored her warnings about the behaviour of a taxi driver in Delhi who allegedly raped a passenger days later.

Shiv Kumar Yadav is being held in police custody after the reported attack on Friday, when a 27-year-old woman said he raped her in his taxi, threatened her with a metal rod and ordered her not to tell authorities.

Since the 32-year-old was arrested, it has emerged he has been accused of sexual offences several times in the past.

Delhi’s transport ministry banned Uber from operating in the city in response to the complaint.

Writing on Twitter, Nidhi Shah said she reported him from Uber after he made her feel uncomfortable during a ride on 26 November – nine days before the alleged rape.

“I had reported Shiv Kumar Yadav to Uber on Nov 26th....[it] scares me beyond belief. ” she said. “They said via email they would check on him. Not soon enough.”

Ms Shah posted her receipt from the ride, with Yadav’s name fully printed, and the response to her complaint from Uber’s support centre.

A company representative wrote: “Sorry about what happened here! That’s definitely not what I’d expect out of an Uber trip. ;-( Your driver should always be courteous and professional, making sure to deliver the 5-star Uber experience in every trip. I’ve passed along you feedback to our driver operations team, so that they can check in on Shiv.”

It was unclear whether Yadav was ever interviewed about the incident or any others and the company has already been accused of negligence by failing to check whether the driver had a clean police record or had a satellite location device.

The Uber smartphone app, used to book taxis using its service, is pictured over a car park in New Delhi in December 2014 (Getty)

Following Friday’s alleged attack, the company’s chief executive officer Travis Kalanick said: “What happened over the weekend in New Delhi is horrific.

“We will do everything, I repeat, everything we can to help.”

Yadav appeared in court on Monday and was remanded in custody for three days.

The attack is the latest to draw attention to the dangers faced by women in India, coming two years after a 23-year-old student died after being gang raped on a bus.

The Independent has contacted Uber for comment.