Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder and CEO of payments platform Paytm, was arrested and later released on bail by the Delhi Police for allegedly ramming a car into the vehicle of a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), on 22 February.
He was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 279 (rash or negligent driving).
The First Information Report (FIR) states that a Jaguar Land Rover, allegedly driven by Sharma, had hit the vehicle of DCP (South District) Benita Mary Jaiker.
As per reports, Constable Dipak Kumar was driving the car to a petrol pump around 8 am when the incident took place outside the Mother’s International School on Aurobindo Marg.
“Constable Pradeep, an operator, was with me when we reached Mother’s International School and found a traffic jam there. I saw a gathering of people dropping their children (to school). I slowed down and asked Pradeep to get down to clear the traffic,” reported The Indian Express, quoting Kumar.
“I was waiting when a car came speeding from the side and rammed my vehicle. There was a Haryana registration number plate and the person managed to drive away. Our vehicle got damaged and Pradeep asked me to park on the side of the road. We informed our DCP and she asked me about the car. We told her that we had noted down the number, and then we lodged an FIR at Malviya Nagar police station,” Kumar added.
The report adds that the police discovered the vehicle was registered with Paytm and was allocated to Sharma.
He was then called to the Malviya Nagar police station, where he was arrested and later released on bail.
Paytm Issues Statement
Paytm later issued an official statement on the matter on Sunday evening.
"A complaint was filed in connection with an alleged minor motor vehicle incident. There was no harm caused to any person or property in the said incident. Media reports claiming the nature of the arrest are exaggerated," a Paytm spokesperson said.
"The complaint against the vehicle was for a minor offense under a bailable provision of law and requisite legal formalities were completed on the same day," the spokesperson added.
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