E-hailing driver held over passenger assault

SERDANG: Police detained a driver working for the ride-hailing company Grab, after he allegedly assaulted a teenage passenger, breaking her nose.
Selangor Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief SAC Fadzil Ahmat said the victim, 17, booked the e-hailing service for a trip from a mall in Kuala Lumpur to Puchong Jaya on Saturday.
"At one point, during the ride, a quarrel ensued and the driver is believed to have assaulted the secondary school student which ended in her nose being broken," Fadzil said in a statement today.
In a follow-up investigation, less than nine hours later, police nabbed the driver, a 30-year-old man, at 2.30am today.
The suspect, who had been in the e-hailing service for the past two years, was remanded until Wednesday to facilitate investigations.
It is learnt that the incident was triggered due to a misunderstanding between the two.
The case is being investigated under Section 325 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
Meanwhile, Klang Valley Head of Grabcar and Grabtaxi, Wan Khye Theng said the case is being investigated and necessary action will be taken.
"We do not tolerate any act of physical violence or verbal abuse by passengers or drivers. We would also like to urge both parties to remain courteous and calm throughout their ride and in the event of any incident, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service, or use the SOS button in the passenger application or the police button in the driver application," he said.
It is the fourth case reported involving e-hailing drivers in the Klang Valley in recent months.
On May 21, a pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage after she was allegedly robbed by a Uber e-hailing services driver and his accomplice when she boarded his car from Kuala Lumpur to her home in Puchong.
The driver, who has criminal records, was arrested in Johor three days later.
On June 4, two students, both aged 24, who took a ride from Jalan Ampang to Cheras Perdana at 3.30am, were taken to an undisclosed area by an e-hailing service driver before being robbed by two motorcyclists, believed to be the man's accomplices.
The 31-year-old driver was nabbed by police in Kajang two days later.
On June 11, a Grab driver was arrested after he allegedly raped a victim during a ride to her home in Seri Kembangan.