A 26-year-old woman was allegedly assaulted by a bike-taxi rider while travelling to a gym in Kalyan, Maharashtra, police said on Monday. The incident occurred on Saturday evening after the woman booked a bike taxi from the Chickenghar area to her gym near Kalyan railway station.

According to police, instead of heading towards the intended destination, the rider diverted the vehicle to a secluded stretch near the Syndicate area.

Woman raises alarm, locals intervene

Police said the rider stopped the two-wheeler at the isolated spot and behaved inappropriately with the woman. He also allegedly took ₹1,000 from her purse.

When the woman raised an alarm, local residents rushed to the spot, restrained the rider and alerted the police. Officers arrived shortly after and brought the situation under control.

Accused arrested, probe under way

The accused has been identified as Siddhesh Pardeshi (19). He was arrested on Sunday and later remanded to police custody till December 18.

A knife was also recovered from his possession, police said. Investigators are probing whether the accused was involved in similar incidents earlier.

A case has been registered based on the woman’s complaint, and further investigation is under way.

Transport violations flagged

Meanwhile, officials from the Kalyan Regional Transport Office (RTO) said a challan was issued under the Motor Vehicles Act for using a petrol-powered two-wheeler as an unauthorised bike taxi.

An RTO official said the rider violated provisions of the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules, 2025, which mandate the use of electric two-wheelers. The department has also written to police seeking action against the aggregator platform for alleged permit violations.

Company denies association

Bike-taxi platform Rapido issued a clarification stating that the accused was not, and had never been, a Rapido rider. The company said the individual had applied earlier but was rejected after failing verification checks, and authorities confirmed the booking was made on another platform.

Government to review bike-taxi operations

Following the incident, the Maharashtra Transport Department said it has sought explanations from multiple aggregator companies for alleged violations. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik is scheduled to hold an urgent review meeting with department officials on December 17.