Mumbai cab driver arrested for allegedly charging US tourist ₹18,000 for 400-metre ride

Mumbai: Mumbai Police have arrested a taxi driver for allegedly overcharging a US national ₹18,000 for a short 400-metre journey from Mumbai International Airport to a five-star hotel in Andheri (East), according to a report by The Times of India.

Sahar police arrested Deshraj Yadav (50) for cheating after the incident came to light through a social media post by the foreign national. The woman had arrived in Mumbai from the United States on January 12 and took a taxi to a hotel near the airport.

Police said the driver allegedly took the woman on a 20-minute drive around Andheri (East) before returning to the same locality, dropping her at the hotel and collecting ₹18,000 (around $200) as fare. A suo motu first information report (FIR) was registered on January 27, following which Yadav was arrested within three hours.


The case surfaced after the woman shared details on X (formerly Twitter) on January 26, the same day she created her account. The post garnered more than 1.15 lakh views. In her post, Argentina Ariano said she had landed in Mumbai and taken a taxi to a Hilton Hotels property near the airport, alleging that the driver and another individual first took her to an unknown location, charged $200, and then dropped her at the hotel, which was only 400 metres away. She also shared the taxi’s registration number in the post.

Despite a delay of nearly two weeks after the incident, police tracked down the accused using the vehicle registration details shared online. The investigation was supervised by Maneesh Kalwaniya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VIII), along with Sahar police senior inspector Manoj Chalke and his team.

Police said they gathered information from the hotel and found that the woman had checked in on January 12, checked out the next day, travelled to Pune, and later returned to the US. “We are trying to record the victim’s statement. She did not inform the hotel staff about the incident,” Chalke was quoted as saying, adding that tourists are repeatedly advised to alert hotel staff or local authorities if they suspect overcharging.

Police are also searching for Yadav’s alleged accomplice. Yadav remains in police custody and his taxi has been seized. Officials said his details would be forwarded to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) for possible cancellation of his licence. He has been booked for cheating.

The incident follows similar cases reported in recent months. In December 2024, an Australian NRI businessman was allegedly overcharged ₹2,800 for a 10-minute taxi ride from Mumbai International Airport to a hotel in Vile Parle, leading to the arrest of the driver after a complaint was emailed to police. In another case the same month, an autorickshaw driver was arrested for allegedly robbing a US-based student of ₹3,500 despite the meter showing a fare of ₹106.With inputs from TOI