An Uber driver in New York City has been charged with kidnapping after a woman claimed he groped her and charged her $1,000 (£760) for the trip.
The FBI said Harbir Parmar, 24, of Queens, picked the woman up in Manhattan at 11.30pm on February 21 for a trip to her home in White Plains, New York.
The woman claimed she fell asleep and later woke up to find the driver "with his hand under her shirt touching the top of her breast," according to a criminal complaint.
The woman reached for her phone, the complaint said, but Parmar took it from her and continued driving.
She asked the driver to take her to the police station but Parmar refused, the complaint said.
Parmar eventually left the woman on the side of Interstate 95 in Branford, Connecticut, about an hour's drive east of her home.
Luckily, the woman was able to memorise his licence plate and report the incident to police.
However she later learned Parmar had charged her over $1,000 for the trip from New York to Massachussets.
He has since been charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of wire fraud. Kidnapping carries a maximum sentence of life in prison while wire fraud has a maximum sentence of 20 years.
In a statement, US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said: “As alleged, Harbir Parmar was hired to transport a woman from Manhattan to her home in White Plains. Instead, Parmar kidnapped, terrorised and assaulted the woman before dumping her on the side of an interstate.”
Mr Parmar has been released on bail and is banned from working as a cab driver.
Uber told NBC: “What’s been reported is horrible and something no person should go through. As soon as we became aware, we immediately removed this individual’s access to the platform. We have fully cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to support their investigation.”
