Last Updated:November 16, 2025, 09:31 IST

Niilam Paanchal missed her Shatabdi Express after a cab driver allegedly misbehaved and delayed her ride in Ahmedabad. Police are tracing the driver after her complaint.

Gujarati actor and national award winner Niilam Paanchal.

Gujarati actor and national award winner Niilam Paanchal’s trip to catch a Mumbai-bound train on Friday took an alarming turn after her cab driver allegedly misbehaved with her, drove unusually slowly, and diverted from the normal route without explanation. The incident came to light when Paanchal immediately took to X to alert authorities, tagging both the Gujarat and Ahmedabad city police.

Paanchal had booked a cab from Bodakdev to Kalupur railway station to board the 2:50 pm Shatabdi Express. The ride-hailing app estimated a 30-minute journey, and she boarded the cab at 2 pm. But right from the start, she said, the situation felt off. “Right from the beginning, he was non-cooperative,” Paanchal told TOI, adding that he refused to assist with her luggage and asked her to keep it beside her on the back seat.

She said the driver moved at barely 30 km/h and soon took a detour that did not match the navigation map. When she asked about the change in route and the slow pace, he claimed there was heavy traffic and continued driving in silence. As minutes passed, she alleged that his behaviour became more aggressive. “Near Commerce College, when I asked him to drive faster, he threatened to drop me midway,” she said. Paanchal also stated that the driver abused her during the ride, leaving her worried she could be left stranded at any point.

The cab eventually reached Kalupur at 2:51 pm, just enough time for her to watch her train pull out of the station. By then, police officers who had noticed her posts on X had already arrived to trace her, but the cab had driven off before they could intervene.

Inspector H.R. Vaghela later said that Paanchal chose not to file an FIR and instead submitted a written complaint. “We are tracing the driver and will call him for questioning,” Vaghela confirmed. Ahmedabad Traffic Police also issued an update on X, stating that the actress was safe, the vehicle details had been logged, and efforts were underway to locate the cab and its driver.