Rape, molestation and robbery: Uber cabbie's criminal past revealed

The Uber cab driver accused of raping a 27-year-old executive has been a serial sexual offender and was out on bail in a rape case in 2013 besides being involved in similar case in 2011, police said on Tuesday calling him a ‘big time rogue’.

Shiv Kumar, 32, had allegedly raped a woman in Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh last year and was involved in at least two more cases including molesting another woman, investigators said.

On Monday, it emerged that Yadav was arrested in a rape case in South Delhi’s Mehrauli area in 2011 and had even spent seven months in Tihar jail. He was however acquitted in the case.

“Uttar Pradesh police has found that he was involved in at least three more case in the city including a case of rape and a molestation which were lodged in Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. He was out on bail,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma.

He said Yadav was arrested for separate cases of molestation in 2003, under Arms Act in 2006 and rape and robbery in 2013 in Mainpuri, his home town.

“Accused Shiv Kumar Yadav of Uber rape case has now emerged as a big time rogue of Mainpuri. His previous criminal involvements in Mainpuri started when he was just 21-year-old in the year 2003.

“He was out on bail on all these cased from UP court when he allegedly committed rape of the 27-year-old woman in Delhi on Friday,” said the police official.

He also has two cases under the Goonda Act against him in Mainpuri. Yadav basically hails from Elau Police station area of Mainpuri.

With it coming to fore that he had been accused in at least three cases of rape, investigators will try and determine whether he victimised his other female customers as well in his interrogation.

“He has been driving a taxi in the national capital for the last several years. He was with Uber for the last six months. He seems to be a serial sex predator who targets lonely and vulnerable looking woman. We are now going to intensively grill him whether he had committed similar offence in the past,” said a senior police official associated with the probe.

Police said that he has not shown any remorse to the incident so far but comes out as scared.

“In the 2011, case he had allegedly assaulted a bar dancer. It seems that he took a sense of accomplishment in targeting woman. If he knew that someone from the family is waiting for the woman or had he heard her talking to someone over phone, he probably wouldn’t have attacked the financial company executive,” said a senior police official.

Image: Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar who has been accused of raping a 27-year-old woman in Delhi. Photograph: PTI photo