Uber India's first female driver, Veerath Bharathi, was found dead in her house in Nagashettyhalli in north Bengaluru on Monday evening.
The 39-year-old, who was working with Uber, was found hanging in her house around 7 pm on Monday by her neighbours following which the police was immediately alerted, TR Suresh, DCP North, said.
Veerath Bharathi/Facebook
Bharathi, a native of Warangal in Telangana, used to live alone in her house.
"The body has been sent for post-mortem. We will get a clear picture of what exactly happened once we get the reports. We did not find any suicide note and there were also no signs of forceful entry," Suresh said adding that as of now it looks like a case of suicide.
Her parents are on their way to Bengaluru.
Bharathi made headlines when she became Uber India's first female driver in 2013. She migrated from Warangal to Bengaluru in search of a job in 2005. She had a tailoring job for a while before she moved on to working with a travel agency.
Veerath Bharathi/Facebook
With the help of an NGO, she learnt driving in 2007 and eventually bought a Ford Fiesta.
The News Minute, which was trying to arrange a video interview with Bharathi, spoke to her a few weeks ago.
Bharathi talked about her experiences as a woman in a domain which is still very male-centric and why more women cab drivers are needed.
Speaking about her interactions with passengers, she said, "I've never had any bad experience with any customer. I've had a comfortable driving experience with passengers and they too have been appreciative".
Veerath Bharathi/Facebook
Bharathi, who worked from 12 pm to around 1 am, did not usually wait in places where she was not comfortable in.
When asked about her future plans, she said, "I'll do this job as long as I can. Jitne din taakat rahta hai. (Till I have the energy to do so)."
Bharathi also said that more women drivers were needed as it would not only empower them individually and economically, but women and senior citizen customers also feel more comfortable with female drivers.
However, she went on to add that there was a lack of support system for women who wanted to get into the field of driving cabs.
Bharathi was reportedly planning to return to Warangal.
(With inputs from Sarayu Srinivasan)