Uber tales Part II - The Fraudster
In a little while, the cab driver
volunteered information about his personal life. He belonged to a staunch
Brahmin family in UP and his father worked with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and
how his family was well-known in their village. As the only son and no other
sibling, they had many expectations from him. They were even looking for a
suitable girl in the village.
Thinking his life was sorted, I
congratulated him. But here is where the problem lay – he had a girlfriend in
Mumbai. He began by saying that even though he is a Hindu, he never felt
attracted to Hindu girls. His girlfriend was a Muslim. She lived in a far-off
suburb of Mumbai and was a school teacher.
Now, to me, this seemed okay. Boy
meets girl in the city and falls in love. Religion plays obstacle. He further
added that he had met her sister and that things had progressed between them.
However, if his parents found out, he would be an outcast and it would kill his
parents. So I asked him what he planned to do. Apparently, his Muslim
girlfriend knew him to be a fellow Muslim only. Everything about their
relationship was a lie.
This bit of information was really odd. He had
lied to her and apparently lived-in on and off with her for the last 7 years.
She wanted to marry him. Her family was okay with him too as they thought he
belonged to the same religion. But they were now asking him for his Aadhar
card.
“Agar Aadhar de doonga toh sab pe
paani phir jayega…”
“But Bhaiya aapko Aadhar do dena
hee hoga na… agar nahi banwaya toh
banwana padega”
“Madam, Aadhar hai magar mere
sache naam se. Jaise hee number doonga aadhar ka ya biometric karwaonga, sab
pol khul jayegee!”
“Aise kaise bhaiya? Shaadi toh
karni hogi na? Ya phir, break up kar lo. Sab sukhi. Yeh toh Dhoka hai.”
“Arre nahi kar sakta break up.
Baat bahut aage badh gayi hai. Hospital jana pada tha. Waha pe bhi Aadhar
manga. Kisi tarah bhaag gaya main. Jab uske maa-baap se mila, unko bola ki mere
maa baap gaon mein hai. Nahi aayenge. Unhone kaha ki court marriage kar lo.
Maine bola haan magar aadhar nahi hai. Uske baap ne kaha ki kaam kaise mila phir?
Maine koi bahana bana diya.”
I was freaking out by now. I was
curious to know more. This man was a fraud. Was he sharing his tale to seek
validation? He wasn’t going to get it from me!
“Maine usko kayi baar kaha ki
breakup kar lo. Main taxi chalata hoon. Ghar bhi nahi hai. Who nahi maanti.
Kehti hai mera ghar tumhara hai. Main bhi kamati hoon. Koi chinta nahi hai. Lekin
agar isse shaadi kiya toh pata chal jayega ki main Hindu hoon. Kisi namaaz
padhne ko keh diya toh kalyaan ho jayega!”
By now my face was blank but I
was disgusted.
“Break up kar lo ya phir isko sab
sach bata do bhaiya. If she loves you, who aapse shaadi kar legi. Sab solve ho
jayega.”
“Madam, iske ghar wale kaat denge
agar pata chala ki Hindu hoon aur dhokha de raha tha. Agar isse shaadi kit oh maa-baap
mar jayenge. Woh mere liye Hindu ladki pasand kiye hai.”
“Magar bhaiya, aisa nahi chalega!
Jhoot pe Jhoot banta jaa raha hai?”
“Sochta hoon ki maa baap toh
kabhi Mumbai nahi aayenge. Gaon jaake shaadi kar lo Hindu ladki se. Yahan
Mumbai mein isse shaadi kar loo. Kisi ko pata nahi chalega… Kya kehti hai app?”
I simply never replied to this
man. I was almost home. He knew where I worked and now would know where I
lived. I got off 500 meters before my house in panic. As I was getting off, he
said,
“Kisi ko mat batana madam, phas jaunga!”
I simply crossed the street and
entered the local store to wait until he left. As I got home, I narrated this
incident to my mom who yelled at me saying I should have gotten off sooner
before this conversation ever happened. Husband yelled too. I was asked never
to speak again in cabs. No conversation had to be initiated or participated in.
On a serious note though, maybe I
should have reported him to Uber and then to the police. He is a fraud, a liar
and someone who was going to dupe two women and their families. But my tale had
frightened my family and so I quit this thought.
I still feel pathetic about it.
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