Bengaluru auto driver who allegedly abused women released from jail

Bengaluru auto driver who was arrested earlier for allegedly slapping a woman passenger was released from police custody on Saturday. He claimed that he did not slap the woman and only grabbed her phone to stop her from calling the police.
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Speaking to a YouTube channel called Auto Ratha Saradhi, auto driver Muthuraj said, “I accept my mistake as I should not have grabbed her phone. But I did not slap the woman as she claimed in the video and I only grabbed the phone to stop her calling the cops. It happened in a spur of the moment.”
 
The driver further said that all the aggregator apps had banned him from boarding them and that he received threatening calls. “Soon after the incident happened, all aggregator apps like Ola and Uber blocked me. I received calls from unknown people who said they would finish me. What I had done was a mistake, and I am facing legal challenges for it, but people should understand how tough the life of auto drivers becomes if they do not meet their daily targets,” he added.
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Muthuraj also thanked those who helped him cover his legal expenses by sending him money. “I received financial support from a lot of people and I thank them for understanding my side of the story. As a common man, I have no idea how to proceed with the legal troubles. I will meet the auto unions and see what can be done in my capacity,” he added.
Earlier this month, a woman passenger complained that she was slapped by an auto driver for cancelling the ride. She also put out a video where the auto driver was seen abusing her for booking two autos at a time and cancelling one. Bengaluru police arrested the auto driver immediately and asked people to dial 112 during such situations.