Uber Assisting Police Following Allegations Of Rape Against One Of Its Drivers In Indian

Uber is assisting police in the investigation of an alleged rape of a woman by one of its drivers in Delhi, India, marketing and partnerships exec Saad Ahmed posted this morning on the company's blog.

A 26-year-old woman reported that she was sexually assaulted and beaten by her Uber driver late Friday night, before he dropped her off at her house.

The driver reportedly switched off his phone after the incident, but Uber provided police with his license details, address, vehicle information, and trip details. The driver was arrested Sunday morning in his home, about 100 miles from Delhi, The Gaurdian reports, and will appear in court on Monday.

Uber launched in India in last fall, and now operates in ten cities across the country. In November, it rolled out a service called UberGO for short trips for providing a "smarter, cheaper and safer way to get around your city." The company - which just raised $1.2 billion at a $41 billion valuation - competes mainly with local service Ola Cabs, which has raised roughly $277 million and operates in 19 cities.

In its response to the allegations this morning, Uber writes that safety is its "#1 priority in India," and that "Uber exclusively partners with registered for-hire drivers who have undergone the commercial licensing process, hold government issued IDs, state-issued permits, and carry full commercial insurance."

However, deputy commissioner with the Delhi police, Madhur Verma, told Reuters that there has been "a lot of negligence in terms of security" on Uber's part.

"We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in their investigation to bring this crime to justice," Uber's Ahmed writes.

Here's the full post from Uber:

This is an abhorrent crime. Our thoughts remain with the victim who has shown tremendous courage under the circumstances.

Upon being notified of this incident, our team immediately provided the local authorities with all relevant details, including:

• driver (name, age, photo, complete driver's license details, bank verified address)

• vehicle (license, registration, insurance, state-issued driver permit)

• trip details (trip data, route, pick-up & drop-off location)

Safety is our #1 priority and in India, Uber exclusively partners with registered for-hire drivers who have undergone the commercial licensing process, hold government issued IDs, state-issued permits, and carry full commercial insurance. Uber also has a GPS trace and record of all trips that occur on the platform - information that has been shared with the authorities. We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in their investigation to bring this crime to justice.

We will also work with the community, with government and the technology industry to find more ways to promote safety in transportation, particularly for women - both here in Delhi and throughout India.

Business Insider reached out to Uber for more details about its screening process and for how it could further promote safety in India and will update according.