Ola hits roadblock in Sri Lanka as rival alleges 'commercial espionage'

Softbank funded ride-hailing firm Ola is facing a roadblock ahead of its entry into Sri Lanka after a local rival accused the Indian firm of “commercial espionage” when its team was researching the market opportunity in Colombo and other cities in the island nation.

The Bengaluru-based Ola in a statement has dismissed the allegations as “absolutely friviolous” while not commenting further due to the matter being subjudice.

The local rival, PickMe that runs Sri Lanka’s largest cab service, has accused Ola executives of stealing confidential business and technical information, through indulging in commercial espionage.

A local court in Colombo has