In Ujjain, e-rickshaw drivers kept finding their vehicles mysteriously grinding to a halt on isolated, poorly-lit stretches at night, only...

In Ujjain, e-rickshaw drivers kept finding their vehicles mysteriously grinding to a halt on isolated, poorly-lit stretches at night, only for a 'helpful stranger' to show up minutes later, fix the problem in seconds, and pocket Rs 200-300 for the favor. Police traced the racket to BAT-BMS, a Bluetooth battery-management app from Shenzhen Grenergy Technology that can scan and disable any nearby lithium battery pack lacking authentication, which is to say nearly all of them, since nobody thought to add a password. An 18-year-old has been arrested for running the scheme. The prescribed fix, per police: add a password. India's e-rickshaw fleet, it turns out, has been running on the security posture of a hostel WiFi router.