A DuPage County judge set a $150K bond for a Naperville cab driver who was accused of sexually assaulting his female customer.
Sandeep Arora, 44, of Naperville, appeared at a bond hearing before Judge Robert Miller on Friday. He was charged with several felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Arora, who was scheduled to appear before Judge Miller for arraignment on Jan. 10, was taken into custody on Thursday, only a day after an arrest warrant was issued for him.
On July 9, 2017, Arora picked up the victim and her friend from a Naperville establishment in a cab he was driving, the authorities said.
Prosecutors also said that Arora dropped off the friend, who was sitting in the back of the cab, leaving Arora and the victim in the front seat.
According to the prosecutors, Arora then sexually assaulted the victim, partially ripping off part of her clothing causing bruises and marks on her body. A short time later, Arora pulled the cab over and proceeded to sexually assault her again, prosecutors said.
The authorities said the woman was eventually able to free herself and run away before calling a friend and hiding in the bushes while waiting for her friend to arrive.
She then went to Naperville police the following morning to report the incident.
Robert Berlin, DuPage County State’s Attorney, said after he thanked the Naperville police department “These allegations are extremely disturbing and, if found guilty, Mr. Arora will find himself behind bars, unable to prey upon innocent women, for a significant amount of time.”
Naperville police Chief Robert Marshall said, “This was an excellent example of the DuPage State’s Attorney’s Office and the Naperville Police Department working in conjunction to identify and apprehend a dangerous predator, who allegedly preyed upon an unsuspecting woman.”