Woman says she was raped after getting into a car she thought she had booked
Oct 19, 2023, 8:28 AM
BOSTON (AP) — A man has been charged with raping a woman who thought he was the driver she requested after leaving a Boston nightclub.
The woman told police she left the nightclub early Saturday and got into the car, believing it to be an Uber she had requested for the ride home. But after she got in, the driver drove behind some buildings, put a T-shirt over the rear window and then raped her, police said in a report.
“This is a terrifying incident involving a woman who entered a vehicle with the full understanding that she was going to be delivered home in safety and a driver who took advantage of the victim and the situation,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a news release Wednesday.
Afterward, the driver drove the woman around before dropping her off near her house, police said.
Investigators said they used video surveillance and descriptions provided by the woman to identify the car.
The driver, identified as Qabel Najeeb, 29, of Worcester, was arrested Sunday and charged with rape. He pleaded not guilty in municipal court on Monday, and his bail was set at $10,000. He was scheduled to return to court on Nov. 15.
The Associated Press sent an email to his attorney seeking comment. A phone number for Najeeb could not be found.
Uber told The Boston Globe that Najeeb is not a driver for the ride-booking service.
