Body of missing Ola cab driver found in canal in New Delhi

New Delhi, July 27: The body of a 34-year-old Ola cab driver, who was reported missing since July 24, was found in Haiderpur canal, the police has said. The deceased, identified as Salimuddin, a resident of Sohna in Gurgaon, was found with injuries in the head.

His family members claimed that it was a case of hate crime as his hair had been cut, but the police have ruled out the allegation. On July 23, some people had boarded a cab at the Kashmere Gate bus terminal.

They told the driver they wanted a bigger car following which, which the driver got another cab booked for them, the police said. Salimuddin, arrived there and the passengers asked him to take them to Murthal and paid the fare in advance.

Around 3 am on July 24, Salimuddin's car was found rammed into a tree in Bawana, but he was missing.

The driver's family told police that he had not returned home from July 23 and a case was registered. His body was found in the canal on July 25, the police said, adding post-mortem was carried out yesterday and the body was handed over to the family.

According to the police, it is being probed whether the accused had robbed the car from Salimuddin, and then killed him. It is also suspected that after robbing the vehicle, they were driving it and ended up ramming it into a tree and then dumped it there. Meanwhile, Ola released a statement on the incident.

"This is a very disturbing news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased. We are in constant touch with local police to help them investigate the case. We hope that the perpetrators of the crime would be caught at the earliest," an Ola spokesperson said.

PTI