New Delhi, May 16 -- The Maharashtra government's Cyber Department has instructed tech companies Google and Apple to remove ride-hailing apps like Uber, Ola, and Rapido from their Play Store and App Store respectively, as per several media reports.

The Office of the Additional Director General of Police issued the notices on Friday, 15 May, under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Both Google and Apple have been instructed to "remove and disable access" to these applications from their digital marketplaces.

Uber, Ola, and Rapido have incurred the wrath of the authorities due to unauthorised bike taxis plying on the roads without required government approvals.

"It has been observed that certain app-based platforms...