The 29-year-old cab driver arrested for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl sleeping on a footpath near Chhattarpur earlier this week was registered with three major cab aggregators for nearly two years despite having been booked in five criminal cases in Bihar, including for sexual assault and attempt to murder, at least three police officers associated with the probe said on Wednesday.Police said they have approached the three companies seeking an explanation on how Singh was on-boarded as a driver-partner and whether mandatory police verification and antecedent checks were ever carried out.The officers cited above said the accused, Bashu Kumar Singh, was associated three of biggest cab aggregators and had continued ferrying passengers in NCR despite his criminal record in his home district of Khagaria in Bihar between 2015 and 2022. On Monday, hours after he had killed and raped the minor girl, he logged back on and was arrested soon after dropping a passenger off in Nangloi.Police said they have approached the three companies seeking an explanation on how Singh was on-boarded as a driver-partner and whether mandatory police verification and antecedent checks were ever carried out.Background checks and police verifications for cab drivers are mandated by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, read alongside the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines. In 2016, Delhi High Court had also directed the city’s government and the Delhi Police to check the antecedents and licences of all drivers of app-based cabs in the Capital to ensure safety of passengers. Cab aggregators are required to provide these details to the authorities.“The investigation so far suggests that the accused managed to conceal his criminal history while registering himself with three cab aggregators. We have sought all relevant documents from the companies, including records related to police verification and on-boarding procedures,” said one of the officers involved in the probe.Police said a separate first information report (FIR) will be registered against each cab aggregator company if it is established that they did not follow the legal procedures such as police verification before registering him as a partner-driver. “The FIR would be registered under section 223 of the BNS for disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant,” said an investigator, who asked not to be named.Deputy commissioner of police (south) Anant Mittal confirmed that Singh was named in five criminal cases in Bihar over a seven-year period. “One case registered in 2015 pertains to the sexual assault of a woman. Of the two cases registered in 2022, one relates to attempt to murder and another to rioting. The remaining cases involve assault and physical altercations,” he said.Delhi Police has sought copies of all FIRs and details of their present status from Bihar Police authorities.The second officer cited above said preliminary questioning of Singh and his relatives living in Gurugram revealed that he had been arrested in all five cases but later secured bail. “He was last arrested in 2022 in an assault case and spent nearly a month in jail. Family members told investigators that because of his behaviour he was sent to live with his brother in Gurugram in 2023,” said the officer.Appeared in Bihar Police exam 12 days ago: Police The probe has also revealed that Singh had recently appeared for a recruitment examination for the post of havildar clerk in Bihar Police. “He appeared for the examination on June 10, barely 12 days before the crime, and returned to Gurugram the following day before resuming his work as a cab driver,” an investigator said.Police said the white Maruti Suzuki Wagon R allegedly used in the crime belonged to a Gurugram resident and had been rented by Singh for ₹18,000 per month since late 2023. Investigators are likely to question the owner and examine rental agreements and related records.According to police, the crime unfolded in the early hours of Monday after the girl, who lived with her family on a footpath in south Delhi’s Chhattarpur area, was allegedly abducted while asleep. At around 4.58am, police received a PCR call reporting that a man in a white cab had kidnapped the child. Investigators obtained footage from CCTV cameras installed near the spot and identified a white Wagon R leaving the area with the child inside.Analysis of footage from surrounding routes established that the vehicle had travelled towards the Mandi area near Fatehpur Beri before heading in the direction of Gurugram.Police then contacted cab aggregators seeking details of commercial vehicles operating in the area during the relevant period. “One of the companies provided details of a Wagon R matching the vehicle seen in the footage along with driver’s details. Surveillance of his phone helped trace him to Vikaspuri, where he was arrested around 11am,” said an officer.At the time of his arrest, Singh was allegedly returning after dropping a passenger in Nangloi.Police said he initially denied involvement in the crime but later confessed after being confronted with CCTV footage and electronic evidence. During questioning, he allegedly disclosed that he had sexually assaulted the child inside the car in the Mandi area before strangling her and dumping her body in a forested stretch along the Gurugram-Faridabad road.Investigators said the accused led police teams to the location where the girl’s body was recovered later that evening. “He allegedly concealed the body in a cavity in the ground and covered it with stones in an attempt to hide it,” an officer said.Police believe the entire sequence of kidnapping, sexual assault and murder unfolded within approximately two hours. After disposing of the body, Singh allegedly changed his clothes, returned home in Gurugram and later resumed work as a cab driver.On Tuesday evening, police took the accused to reconstruct his movements and identify the locations connected to the crime. During the exercise, he allegedly snatched a service pistol from an inspector and attempted to flee after firing a shot. Police retaliated and one bullet struck his left leg.Singh has been booked under charges of kidnapping, rape and murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The case has been registered at Mehrauli police station.