r/bihar • u/anfumann • 33m ago
🗣 Discussion / चर्चा Bihari yahan Bihari ko hi loot-ta hai: painful realization after what a cab driver did to my relative battling cancer.
Living in Mumbai, I’ve often heard the phrase, "Bihari yahan Bihari ko hi loot-ta hai."
I never took it seriously, though I’d occasionally notice that vendors from UP/Bihar would quote higher prices without room for negotiation the moment they realized we shared the same native region—while we naively thought we were supporting our own people. I usually ignored it.
A recent incident, however, showed me how predatory some people can be.
My relative traveled from Muzaffarpur to Mumbai for cancer treatment. I usually handle pick-ups and drop-offs, but this time his 21-year-old son accompanied him. While heading back, they insisted I stay home rather than make the 25 km trip from Navi Mumbai to LTT.
My nephew booked a Rapido cab to LTT. The driver was also from Bihar. As they conversed, the driver realized they were out-of-towners returning after hospital treatment. My nephew trusted him and didn't monitor the GPS.( I would say careless but yeah 21 year old these things happen) The driver exploited that trust and deliberately drove them toward Navi Mumbai Airport instead.
Once they reached the airport area, the driver blatantly lied: "Aapne airport ka hi booking daala tha." They argued, but with train departure time ticking down, filing an app complaint and waiting around wasn't an option. The driver then held them to ransom: he demanded an extra ₹1,400 to take them to LTT. They had already paid around ₹600 for the original trip. Rattled, racing against time, and slightly embarrassed to disturb me at the last minute, my nephew bargained it down to ₹1,200–₹1,300 and paid up just to make sure my ailing relative caught the train.
Once they boarded safely, my nephew called and explained what happened. I immediately contacted Rapido support. Support claimed that the booking showed LTT, but suggested the passenger might have requested a reroute. I pushed back: the app route was never altered; the driver deliberately hijacked the destination knowing a cancer patient was on board. Rapido confirmed the passenger's safety, promised an internal probe, and refunded the base fare plus a meager ₹300 credit toward the extorted amount.
Later, my relative told me over the phone: "Babu, ye Bihari hi Bihari ko thag leta hai... Jaane dijiye, hum sakushal train mein baith toh gaye." (Son, it's our own people who exploit us... let it go, at least we made it onto the train safely.)
His words hit hard. Had the driver tried this stunt on a local Mumbaikar, he’d have faced immediate consequences on the spot. Instead, he chose to prey on a vulnerable patient and an anxious kid from his own home state.
Stereotypes don't appear out of thin air—they stick because unscrupulous people actively choose to validate them.
