Four Men Booked a Rapido, Then Killed The Driver, Vijay, to Steal His Car; Chilling Details In Delhi Police Probe

New Delhi: A 40-year-old Rapido bike taxi driver was stabbed to death during what police describe as a pre-planned robbery in East Delhi’s Krishna Nagar area. According to the FIR and an internal police case status report accessed by Rashtra Jyoti, three accused, including a 17-year-old boy, have been arrested, while one accused remains absconding.

The deceased has been identified as Vijay Kumar, a resident of Vinod Nagar, Delhi, who is survived by his wife and two young daughters.

Incident

According to FIR No. 0236/2026 registered at Krishna Nagar Police Station under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the incident took place on the night of 23 July 2026 between 8:45 pm and 9:00 pm near Metro Pillar No. 90 on Road No. 57, close to Swarn Cinema, Krishna Nagar.

Police records state that a PCR call informed authorities that a Rapido driver had been stabbed. Police rushed to the spot and found Vijay Kumar critically injured inside his Maruti WagonR. He was taken to Dr Hedgewar Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

According to the police case note, the accused – identified as Mohammed Ayan (20), Mohammed Sahil (19) and Mohammed Aman Qureshi (20) besides the 17-year-old, conspired to rob a cab driver.

On the evening of 23 July, Ayan booked a Rapido ride using a mobile phone. Vijay Kumar accepted the booking and picked them up.

During the journey, the four attacked Vijay with a knife multiple times inside the vehicle before fleeing with the car. However, after seeing a crowd following them, they abandoned the vehicle near East Azad Nagar Metro Station and escaped.

The police report states that within 24 hours, three accused were arrested from New Seemapuri, while Qureshi remains absconding.

Ayan has four previous criminal cases, while Sahil has one prior criminal case, police note says.

Police have recovered or seized the murder weapon (knife), blood-stained clothes of Vijay, his Maruti WagonR car as well as mobile phone of Ayan.

The police case status report says that they are considering adding several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including those relating to murder and robbery resulting in death.

Rashtra Jyoti will continue to monitor developments in the case as the investigation progresses.

The wife and family of Vijay with social activists

Sewa Nyaya Utthan Intervenes

Following this case, Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation (SNU) has approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking urgent policy reforms to improve the safety of app-based cab and taxi drivers across India.

In a representation addressed to NHRC Member Shri Priyank Kanoongo, the Foundation has argued that the killing of Vijay Kumar is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern of violent crimes targeting drivers who accept rides booked through online platforms.

In its letter, SNU stated that app-based cab and commercial taxi drivers have become the backbone of urban public transport but are increasingly being exposed to life-threatening risks while performing their duties.

When a driver is murdered or seriously injured, the consequences extend beyond the victim, leaving families without an earning member while continuing to face vehicle loan liabilities and financial hardship.

SNU urged the NHRC to recommend structural reforms rather than treating such incidents as isolated criminal cases.

To demonstrate that the problem is recurring, SNU submitted a list of a dozen recent cases in which taxi or app-based cab drivers were murdered after accepting rides booked by passengers, including those from Delhi, Jaipur, Karnal, Kangra, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Rajasthan and Noida.

The central recommendation made by SNU is looking into a repeated demand by driver unions – that of the introduction of mandatory digital Know Your Customer (KYC) verification for passengers using ride-hailing platforms – whether mandatory Aadhaar or other government ID-linked verification for all passenger accounts, particularly for cash bookings and high-risk rides.

While drivers are subjected to Aadhaar verification, police background checks and document verification before joining aggregators, passengers are often able to create accounts using unverified mobile numbers, false identities or temporary profiles.

SNU has requested the NHRC to treat the issue as one requiring broader policy intervention.