Delhi Police is likely to write to the three app-based ride aggregators for which Bashu Kumar Singh — the man arrested for abducting, raping, and murdering an 11-year-old girl — worked to inquire whether any background verification was conducted before onboarding him, said an officer.

Criminal history

Mr. Singh was arrested on Monday while he was dropping off a passenger. According to the police, the 29-year-old is already accused in five criminal cases in Bihar, his home State — three for physical assault and two for attempted murder.

“Given that he has worked for three ride-hailing apps, we will investigate how Bashu managed to pass the screening process of these companies despite a criminal background,” said the officer.

To understand the onboarding and verification process, The Hindu spoke to a few app-based drivers.

Dilip, a bike taxi driver from Mehrauli, said all it takes to create a profile on these apps is an Aadhaar card and a driving licence.

“It only takes minutes to create a profile,” he said.

‘Locations verified’

Mahesh, a cab driver from Hauz Khas, said companies do verify their location and identity through selfies they are asked to click from time to time. “Several times a day, you can be asked to click a selfie, which is supposed to track your location as well and to confirm if the account is being used by the registered driver,” he said.

According to their websites, many of these applications use third-party vendors for background checks. Currently, there is no legal mandate for ride-hailing companies to verify their drivers with the police, another officer said.