Uber Driver Sentenced After Kidnapping Sleeping NYC Passenger

What to Know

An Uber driver was sentenced after kidnapping a sleeping New York City passenger and trying to take them to Boston to get more fare money
Harbir Parmar was sentenced to three years in prison for kidnapping and wire fraud
The driver was allegedly supposed to drive a woman from NYC to White Plains, but changed the dropoff to Boston, then left her in Connecticut

An Uber driver was sentenced after kidnapping a sleeping New York City passenger and trying to take them to Boston to get more fare money.

Harbir Parmar was sentenced to three years in prison for kidnapping and wire fraud after the February 21, 2018 incident.

Parmar picked up the female passenger in the city and was supposed to bring her to White Plains. When the victim fell asleep in the back as he drove, Parmar changed the destination to Boston, Massachusetts, and began driving in that direction, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

The woman woke up as Parmar was driving in Connecticut. She immediately demanded to be driven to White Plains or be dropped off at a nearby police station, but Parmar refused, according to the prosecutor. Instead, she was dropped off on the side of I-95 in Branford, Connecticut, a suburb just east of New Haven. The victim then got help at a convenience store.

The 25-year-old Parmar also overcharged riders for transportation on a number of occasions from December 2016 through February 2018. He would send false information regarding the customer's destination to Uber, and also reported false information about cleaning fees to customers, according to the indictment, racking up thousands in improper charges he pocketed.

"Many people rely on rideshare apps to navigate New York safely. But when a woman hailed a ridesharing car driven by Harbir Parmar, her ride home took a turn for the worst," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said. "With Parmar’s lengthy prison term, he will no longer be able to take advantage of ridesharing customers.”