An Ola cab driver has been accused of scamming a number of customers, including social media influencers and actors, by possibly feigning personal tragedy.

What Happened: A viral video posted by content creator Anisha Dixit on Instagram showed the Ola cab driver threatening suicide over financial issues and the death of his father, with Dixit attempting to console him as he cried loudly.

Dixit explained that the cab driver began crying as soon as she entered his car, claiming that his father had died in the village and his wallet had been stolen, leaving him with no money to return home. Feeling uncomfortable, Dixit asked the driver to pull over so she could call her husband. When she exited the car, the driver fled.

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The video sparked concerns that the incident might be a scam, a sentiment echoed by others who claimed to have been similarly duped by the same driver. Actor Radhika Bangia claimed to have given ₹8,000 to the driver, recalling his subtle crying and fabricated story about his son needing surgery. Another actor, Anjali Sivaraman, also reported being scammed by the same driver, expressing frustration at Ola’s lack of response to her complaint.

Comedian Sonali Thakker said the issue may be more widespread, adding that this story has “travelled across Autowallahs also”. She said she was told the same story by another driver but the driver could not answer simple questions when probed.

Numerous influencers and residents of the Bandra-Juhu area shared similar experiences of being scammed by the driver. Dixit later revealed that the driver had been defrauding customers since 2021, with Ola allegedly receiving multiple complaints against him without taking action until Dixit’s video went viral.

In response, Ola reportedly severed ties with the driver following Dixit’s video. However, Dixit later took to Instagram once again to say that Ola had taken no “tangible action” with regards to the driver’s behaviour. She claimed that Ola’s response in firing the driver was merely a tactic to placate affected users instead of enforcing changes to their policies that would prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.

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