Ridesharing Driver Accused Of Kidnapping Woman

WHITE PLAINS, NY — A ridesharing service driver has been accused of kidnapping a passenger and overcharging for rides. Geoffrey S. Berman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that Harbir Parmar, 24, of Howard Beach, Queens County, was charged with kidnapping and wire fraud.

The complaint was unsealed in White Plains federal court Tuesday.

"As alleged, Harbir Parmar was hired to transport a woman from Manhattan to her home in White Plains," Berman said. "Instead, Parmar kidnapped, terrorized and assaulted the woman before dumping her on the side of an interstate.

"No one — man or woman — should fear such an attack when they simply hire a car service," he said.

Berman said that on Feb. 21 the victim ordered a car through a ridesharing company to pick her up in Manhattan and take her to White Plains, where she was living at the time.

Around 11:30 p.m., she got into a car driven by Parmar, who was licensed to use the company's software as a driver.

The woman fell asleep in the vehicle, and Parmar changed her destination in the service's mobile app to an address in Boston, authorities said.

He proceeded to drive toward Massaschusetts.

When the victim woke up, the vehicle was on the side of the road and Parmar was in the backseat of the car with her, with his hand under her shirt, touching the top of her breast, police said.

After the woman woke up, he got back in the driver's seat and continued driving.

The woman requested that she be taken to White Plains or the police station, but Parmar refused, authorities said.

Instead, he dropped her of on the side of I-95 in Branford, Connecticut.

The woman went to a nearby convenience store where she sought help.

Additionally, Parmar sent allegedly false information about the destinations of the service's customers through its mobile app on at least 11 occasions from Dec. 2016 through Feb. 2018.

Authorities said he also sent false information about the application of a cleaning fee to be applied to the accounts of the service's customers on at least three occasions.

In these instances, customers filed complaints with the service about being overcharged by more than $3,600.

The kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Berman said that there may be more victims of this alleged conduct. If anyone has information to report, contact the FBI's Westchester Resident Agency at 914-925-3888.

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