A taxi driver “abducted” a tram driver on Thursday morning after a collision and an inconclusive debate over whose fault it was, anyway.

The unidentified cabbie demanded compensation from tram driver Deb Krishna Pandey, 48, after his vehicle (WB19 - 7266) rammed into a BBD Bag-bound tram at the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road-Karim Baksh Lane crossing around 8.50am.

When Pandey argued that the tram was not at fault, the enraged cabbie bundled him into the taxi and sped away leaving behind a tram full of bewildered passengers.

The rattled driver returned to the collision-cum-kidnap spot around one-and-a-half hours later, only to find the tram still standing there.

Seven more trams were stuck at the crossing by then, slowing down peak-hour traffic on the busy road.

Pandey told police that the cabbie “released” him in Jadavpur after slapping him a couple of times. “The taxi driver spoke to four cabbies who were waiting for passengers in Jadavpur about the incident. They advised him to let Pandey go,” an officer at New Market police station said.

One of the four taxi drivers gave Pandey a lift and dropped him near Park Hotel. “We have recorded Pandey’s statements and registered a case of abduction, wrongful confinement and extortion against the taxi driver. The owner of the taxi has been traced,” the officer said.

A passenger who witnessed the accident said the taxi rammed into the tram while trying to avoid a speeding autorickshaw. “A portion of the car’s bonnet was damaged. The cabbie lost his cool and shoved the tram driver into the taxi.”