A 49-year-old taxi driver from Ahmedabad’s Memnagar has approached cybercrime police alleging that his photograph was used to create a fake Ola driver profile for another vehicle, while the complaint also flags suspected GPS spoofing to secure airport trips.
The driver, who has been operating taxis for 18 years, told police that he drives a Maruti Ciaz owned by a friend and is registered on Ola, Uber, Rapido and Bharat Taxi. He has used the Ola platform for the past nine months, according to the complaint reported by the Times of India.
The alleged misuse came to light on October 7, when the driver went to Terminal 2 of Ahmedabad airport to pick up a passenger. He was told that another driver near the Airport Circle bus stand was using an Ola profile carrying his photograph. The driver then went to the location with other taxi drivers and confronted a man identified in the report as Irshad.
According to the FIR, a check of Irshad’s phone showed multiple vehicle IDs registered on the Ola app. One profile used the Memnagar driver’s photograph but was registered in the name of Deepak. The profile listed vehicle registration number GJ-12-CT-4747 and driving licence number UP1620100006120.
The complaint states that Irshad allegedly told the drivers that the phone belonged to his employer, Manoj Chaturvedi, also known as Ankush Bodyguard. He allegedly said the phone was being used to obtain trips for his employer’s red Maruti Swift Dzire, registered as GJ-27-TD-6916. The drivers called the emergency helpline 112, after which police took them to Airport police station. The Memnagar driver was later advised to approach the cybercrime police because the matter involved suspected misuse of his photograph and digital identity.
The complaint also alleges that some taxi drivers use fake GPS applications to manipulate their vehicle locations on ride-hailing platforms. Such applications can make a platform show a driver as being near a high-demand pickup point even when the vehicle is elsewhere, potentially affecting the order in which airport trips are assigned. The driver told police that discussions about such applications took place in online groups and that some users allegedly paid between Rs 1,500 and Rs 5,000 a month for the service.
The allegations raise operational questions for ride-hailing platforms that rely on photographs, driving licence details, vehicle records and live location data to match passengers with drivers. A compromised profile can create confusion over who is operating a vehicle, while inaccurate location data can affect both passenger allocation and competition among drivers waiting at a designated pickup area.
Cybercrime police have begun investigating the alleged creation of the fake driver identity, the use of the complainant’s photograph, the registration of multiple vehicle profiles and the suspected use of location-spoofing applications. The report does not establish whether the alleged profile was created through a platform security failure, the misuse of another person’s credentials or an unauthorised third-party process. The investigation is continuing.
