Ahmedabad police have begun investigating an alleged fake online cab identity created using the photograph, vehicle number and driving licence details of a 49-year-old taxi driver without his consent. The complaint was filed at the Airport police station after the driver and fellow cab operators found that his photograph was being used on a profile operating under the name “Deepak”.
The complainant, identified as Ranjitsinh Dantani, drives a taxi in Ahmedabad and supports his family through the work. According to the report, he was at Ahmedabad airport on October 7 when fellow drivers told him that a person near the airport circle was using his photograph on a mobile phone to operate the profile.
The profile allegedly contained vehicle and driving licence numbers linked to Dantani’s identity. The report said the identity was being used to accept online passenger trips, although the person operating the phone was not the driver whose photograph and documents appeared on the profile.
When local drivers questioned a man identified as Irshad, he reportedly said that the mobile phone belonged to his employer, Manoj Chaturvedi, also known as Ankush Bodyguard. Irshad allegedly told the drivers that he was using the phone only to accept rides. The report does not establish who created the profile or how the driver’s personal and vehicle details were obtained.
Drivers at the location called the emergency number 112 after the dispute. A police response vehicle reached the airport area and took the people involved to the Airport police station, according to the report. The incident then led to a formal complaint against Chaturvedi and another unidentified person.
Dantani had previously approached the cybercrime branch with an application alleging misuse of his photograph and irregularities involving electronic records. The latest complaint names Chaturvedi and an unidentified person in connection with the alleged misuse of the image and the registration of a vehicle and driving licence on the false profile.
The case brings the identity checks used in app-based and online taxi operations into focus. A driver profile is generally expected to connect a passenger-facing identity with the person, vehicle and licence authorised to provide the trip. In this case, the complaint alleges that those identifying details were displayed through a profile associated with another name, creating uncertainty about who could be accepting rides under the account.
The report does not identify the online cab platform involved, disclose whether any passenger travelled with the false profile or state whether money was collected through the account. It also does not indicate whether the police have made an arrest. These details are expected to form part of the investigation now being conducted by the Airport police.
The immediate police action followed the drivers’ call to 112, while the formal complaint has placed the alleged identity misuse on record. Investigators will examine the mobile phone, the profile, the registered vehicle and licence details, and the roles of the named and unidentified individuals. The police investigation is continuing.
