'Sympathetic' taxi driver fleeces Mumbai family of Rs 1,600

The passenger left and his family was asked to cough up Rs 2400 for the tripA 52yearold man along with his family was allegedly duped by two men one of whom was a cabbie who pretended they were helping them catch the train that they had missed from Lokmanya Tilak TerminusThe 52yearold who refused to give his name said last week he his wife and daughter had missed the 1140am Netravati Express train from LTT Kurla by 10 minutesThe man who is a typist by profession said while they were wondering what to do two men approached them saying that they could help get them to Panvel station in quick time to catch the train at its next stopWhen he asked the cabbie how much it would cost he refused to give a figure but kept saying that they the family would have to pay whatever the fare on the meter was Left with no option and despite their suspicions of the meter being rigged the family got into the taxiThe cabbie and his friend got into the front seat which had the windows all rolled upThe man also noticed that the meter was neatly covered with a rubberlike material that prevented the fare from being visible ldquoI asked them to lift the cover so that I could check whether the reading was accurate or notrdquo he said to which the response was ldquoWhat uncle donrsquot you have faith in usrdquoWhen the man insisted the cabbie told him he could take him back to Kurla When he relented they told him he would have to pay the return fare from Panvel as well against the earlier agreed upon lsquofare by the meterrsquoAghast the man started arguing with the driver and by the time they had reached their destination the meter showed a whopping Rs 1200 This meant that the passenger was expected to pay Rs 2 400 for his journeyFinally after a lot of arguing the train had reached the platform by then the passenger paid the duo Rs1 500 and boarded the trainNo complaint filedOn an average it takes around Rs 600700 to reach from Kurla to Panvel with cab aggregators costing around Rs 330 ldquoOur primary concern was to board the train at the timerdquo said the man ldquoWe didnrsquot lodge a complaint after returning because the authorities make you run around In some cases they are even handinglove with these conmenrdquoOfficialSpeakGRP DCP Rupali Ambure said Such cases of cabbies cheating passengers are very rare in our jurisdiction We have not received any complaint regarding this particular case As of now we dont have exact data related to such casesTaxi drivers do not have an official governing body so to speak but come under various unions which have to follow rules laid down by the regional transport office Complaints regarding cheating cabbies can be made at police stations In this specific case because the cab was taken from outside the Kurla Terminus the case would have to be filed with the Government Railway Police