Bhubaneswar: Two armed goons allegedly assaulted an Uber driver and fled with the car from Tapoban Square in Khandagiri police limits at around 5am on Thursday.

The driver Banesh Mahakud is undergoing treatment at a private hospital here.

Police said the two goons had booked the car and called up Mahakud on the phone, asking him to drive down to a place, which was a little beyond the destination from where the cab was booked. When the driver reached the place, he found it secluded.

"Mahakud said the two were waiting with a Scooty and as soon as he reached the spot, one of the youths assaulted him with a sharp-edged weapon. Later they took away the keys of the Hyundai Grand i10 vehicle, two mobile phones and cash that the driver had on him. While one of the goons rode the Scooty, the other drove away the car. The driver told us that both were speaking in Odia," said a police official.

Later, a few passers-by saw Mahakud bleeding on the roadside and rushed him to a nearby private hospital.

Deputy commissioner of police Anup Kumar Sahoo said they were trying to trace the mobile number used in booking the cab.

"We have started an investigation after registering a case. We are also trying to identify the goons involved in the crime," Sahoo said.

In March last year, goons allegedly stole an Uber cab at gunpoint near Bharatpur in Khandagiri police limits.

One of the accused had booked the car and three of his aides had intercepted the vehicle midway. The goons then drove away with the Maruti Dzire.

Subsequently, the police had in April last year arrested the four, including a management student, and the stolen car was recovered from Bengal. The accused had sold off the car in Bengal for Rs 1.2 lakh.

The incident, however, has emerged as a concern for drivers of private cab aggregators.

"We receive a number of booking in late night hours. Many of them have medical emergency or trains to catch. It is difficult for us to ascertain the motive of passengers," said a cab driver.