Call Centre Tragedy

Shocking news from Bangalore: Taxi driver admits call center employee murder.

I checked on Google and it looks like most media organisations carried this news only today. Here's what the Nasscom president says (emphasis mine) in a Sify article:

Describing as "very unfortunate and sad" and a "matter of concern" the suspected rape and murder of a 24-year old woman here three days ago which came to light only today, Nasscom President Kiran Karnik told reporters that the industry would create further best practices in terms of safety.

Three days ago and we're hearing about this now? Then, according to this article from Information Week:

In response to the crime, police on Friday asked companies to start providing escorts for female employees from their homes to their workplaces, said Bhupendra Singh Sial, the police chief of Karnataka state, of which Bangalore is the capital.

Cab companies contracted to take the workers to and from their jobs were also asked to give photos and work histories for their drivers, he said.

"Companies will be instructed that there can be no first pickup and last drop-off of a lady.

Bangalore accounts for a third of India's outsourcing export revenues of US$17.2 billion (euro14.33 billion). The city's offshore outsourcing industry works round the clock and depends on hundreds of cab companies to transport employees to work.

That's led to a high demand for drivers and background checks are often cursory, at best."

I'm sure that there'll be changes in policies and all that, but you have to ask why this didn't happen before a life was lost?

A loss that could've been prevented--that's the tragedy.