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Massachusetts Uber driver charged with raping female passenger – Metro US

Massachusetts Uber driver charged with raping female passenger

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A Massachusetts man charged with raping a woman who was reportedly his Uber passenger was arraigned in Roxbury Municipal Court on Monday.

Ranjan Thapa, 26, of Everett, was arrested on Sunday after he was stopped by Northeastern University Police who were responding to a call of sexual assault. Police stopped him around 1 a.m. near the area of Hemenway Street in the South End.

Thapa told police that he was a rideshare operator driving a female passenger home. Observing the woman, officers on scene thought she seemed distressed and may have been sexually assaulted, the Boston Police Department said.

The woman was then transported to a hospital for treatment. An investigation by the Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit provided probable cause for police to arrest Thapa and charge him with rape.

Per the police report, obtained by CBS Boston, Thapa told an officer, “I know I’m in trouble, I had sex with her.”

The police also interviewed the woman on Sunday afternoon, according to CBS Boston, who in the police report told officials that she had been drinking all day and did not remember what happened, and also was not the person who ordered the Uber.

Thapa pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday. His bail was set at $10,000 and he was ordered to surrender his passport and to stay away from the victim in the event that he posts bail.

Judge Kenneth Fiandaca also granted on Monday a protective order to keep the victim’s personal information confidential.

In a statement, Uber said that, “What police describe is deeply troubling.”

“The driver has been removed from the app, and we stand ready to assist the Boston Police Department with their investigation,” the company said in an emailed statement.

Thapa’s next court date is scheduled for April 17.