Asia & the Pacific



An Uber driver has been sentenced to life in prison for raping a passenger in his vehicle in New Delhi last year.

Uber criticised for fare hikes during strike.

Uber driver is jailed for raping passenger in India. Image by Viaggio Routard / CC BY 2.0

The judge had earlier found the driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, guilty of rape, criminal intimidation, kidnapping and endangering the woman’s life.

The passenger, who works for a private company, had hired the cab for a ride home last December.

The rape case was a blow to Uber, which has attracted global popularity and controversy with a service that lets passengers summon cars through an app in more than 250 cities around the world.

The New Delhi government banned app-based taxi companies after the rape.

Uber lost its licence to operate in the Indian capital, but it was restored in July.

(Press Association)