KUALA LUMPUR: A 47-year-old e-hailing driver cheated death when his passenger allegedly stabbed him in the neck and escaped in his car at Jalan Sentul Pasar here on Monday afternoon.
Earlier, the victim had picked up a 23-year-old man in Putrajaya through the InDriver application and headed to the passenger’s destination in Sentul.
On reaching the place at about 2pm, the driver sought the fare for the journey from the suspect.
However, the suspect requested for the driver’s bank account number claiming he intended to pay the fare via wire transfer.
Sentul police chief ACP Beh Eng Lai said as the e-hailing driver looked for his bank account number, the suspect stabbed him in the neck with a sharp object.
He said the suspect then dragged the victim out of his car before driving off with the victim’s valuables.
Beh said passers-by went to the victim’s aid and called for an ambulance that took him for treatment at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH).
In less than 24 hours, prompt action in tracking down the suspect by Sentul police led to his arrest in an undisclosed area at Kota Damansara at 12pm today.
“We recovered the stolen car and several other items belonging to the victim. The suspect had removed the registration plates of the car and disposed of it at a garbage dump. Also seized was a knife that was used to hurt the victim. Checks showed that the suspect does not have any past criminal records,“ Beh said.
He said the suspect is being investigated for causing hurt while pulling off a robbery under Section 394 of the Penal Code.
Two videos of the robbery taken by bystanders went viral in the social media on Monday.
The footage showed the bleeding victim putting up a struggle with the burly suspect next to a car.
The e-hailing driver is also seen grabbing a cane from his car before attempting to keep the suspect away from him.
However, the suspect overpowers the victim and manages to escape in his car, leaving the injured driver lying in the middle of the road.
