The Thane Police arrested a taxi driver on Saturday for allegedly raping a woman passenger, PTI reported. The police also took into custody a friend of the driver on the charge of abetting the crime.

The incident took place on December 19 when the woman was travelling to Thane from Kashimira area, said Thane Superintendent of Police (Rural) Mahesh Patil.

Driver Suresh P Gosavi drove the passenger to a different location where he robbed her before raping her in the car, the woman said in her complaint. Gosavi’s friend Umesh Jaswant Zala who was also in the cab allegedly helped him.

Later they reportedly took her to a lodge. “But after they took her to a lodge at around 2 am on December 20, the lady raised an alarm for help which alerted the lodge owner. The two escaped from the spot,” said a police officer, according to The Indian Express. The lodge owner later informed the police control room.

Gosavi used to work for an app-based cab service provider, but had stopped accepting bookings for the last 10-15 days, the police told PTI. “Gosavi had a dispute over money with the cab company, he had started working alone,” said Thane Superintendent of Police Patil.