Google Maps Misdirection Leads to Car Fire in Hardoi, India
Google Maps provided incorrect directions to a driver from Delhi in Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh, causing his car to become stuck in a pond. The vehicle caught fire while trapped, resulting in the loss of the car, cash, laptop and mobile phones. No deaths were reported.
What happened
Rajan Sahni, a resident of Rajendra Nagar, New Delhi, was visiting Hardoi district with his family on 26 November 2025. While attempting to visit a friend named Govind in the Pihani area, Sahni entered the friend's address into Google Maps for directions.
Google Maps provided incorrect directions, leading Sahni's car into a dried pond with a large depression. Both front wheels of the Maruti Ertiga became stuck in the pond. As Sahni attempted to reverse the vehicle, the engine overheated rapidly and the car suddenly caught fire.
The vehicle burned completely. Inside the car were approximately 195,000 to 200,000 rupees in cash, a laptop, and two mobile phones—all destroyed in the fire. No deaths occurred, though the incident destroyed property worth several lakh rupees.
Reported impact
The driver lost his vehicle, cash amounting to approximately 195,000 to 200,000 rupees, one laptop, and two mobile phones, all destroyed by fire.
The incident highlights recurring problems with Google Maps providing incorrect directions in the area, with previous incidents involving vehicles falling from incomplete bridges or becoming stuck in drainage channels.
Index analysis
Google Maps misdirected the vehicle to a location not matching the intended destination, causing the car to travel along a narrow, unpaved road and become trapped in a hazard—a dried pond with a depression—that was not clearly marked or barriered.
The location matching failure appears systematic, as multiple prior incidents in Hardoi have involved Google Maps providing incorrect directions that led to dangerous situations.
Governance controls
The location where the vehicle became stuck—a dried pond with a large depression—had no warning signs or barriers, contributing to the hazard.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.