Uber driver pleads not guilty to raping passenger in Boston

BOSTON (WHDH) – An Uber driver pleaded not guilty to charges of raping a female passenger in Boston over the weekend.

Ranjan Thapa, 26, was arraigned Monday morning in Roxbury District Court.

Thapa, of Everett, was pulled over by Northeastern University police at around 1 a.m. Sunday on Hemenway Street, according to authorities. Thapa allegedly told officers that he worked for the ride-hailing company and that he was taking a woman to her home.

Campus police noticed that the woman appeared to be in distress and may have been a victim of sexual assault. Boston Police were called to the scene for assistance.

The woman was taken to the hospital. Thapa was arrested on rape charges after an investigation.

“I know I’m in trouble. I had sex with her,” Thapa told police, according to prosecutors.

The defense argued in court that the sex with the passenger was consensual. A judge ordered Thapa held on $10,000 bail.

“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,” Uber said in a statement.

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