Kolkata: In a shocking incident that has cast a shadow over Kolkata’s image as a welcoming destination, an international tourist was scammed, threatened, and harassed by a local taxi driver and his alleged accomplice shortly after arriving in the city. The incident, captured on video, has now gone viral on social media.
Have a look at it here:
Dustin, a travel content creator from the United States, landed in Kolkata with plans to explore the city, but his first ride turned into a terrifying experience.
Instead of booking an Uber, Dustin opted for a local taxi from the airport to Hotel Great Western in Park Street. Despite clearly stating his destination, the driver took him 15 km in the opposite direction, dropping him instead at a similarly named hotel, “The Western,” in Rajarhat.
“I showed you the hotel first, we agreed to this, and then you took me to the wrong hotel,” Dustin is heard telling the driver in the video.
Initially asked to pay Rs 700 for the ride, Dustin was then told the new fare to Park Street would be Rs 900. As he tried to reason with the driver, another man, dressed in a red shirt, entered the car and escalated the situation.
The second man told the driver in Bengali, “I have connections with the mafia, I’ll drag him to a lonely place and break his bones.” The man then demanded Rs 1,000, before settling at Rs 800, claiming Rs 100 was for "parking and petrol".
He was also heard instructing the new cabbie to accept Rs 400 while pocketing the rest. The entire ride, which should have taken under an hour, stretched to nearly 90 minutes.
Despite the ordeal, Dustin clarified, “This won’t ruin India for me... but I’ll never take a random taxi again,” he said in the video.
Authorities are yet to respond to the incident.
