Uber driver charged with sexual assault in US
Adnan Nafasat charged after allegedly over-powering and choking his 21-year-old male passenger.
A driver for the taxi-booking service Uber has been charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a passenger in Chicago.
Cook County prosecutors said 46-year-old Adnan Nafasat of suburban Villa Park overpowered and choked a 21-year-old male passenger during a July 31 attack.
Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Cooper said at a bond hearing that Nafasat refused the man’s pleas to take him home.
The driver’s attorney, Carey Crimmins, said in court that Nafasat owned a business and drove to supplement his income.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Nafasat was ordered to be held in custody in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Uber spokeswoman Jennifer Mullin said the company had removed Nafasat from its platform and was assisting investigators.
It was the second time in two weeks that a driver was charged with assaulting an Uber passenger in Chicago.
The indictment happaned on a day when an Uber driver in India went on trial for allegedly raping a female passenger last month.
Shiv Kumar Yadav pleaded not guilty to the charge, and also to charges of “criminal intimidation” and kidnapping.
Following the alleged rape of the 26-year-old woman, Delhi banned Uber from operating within the city.