Uber driver among four remanded
GEORGE TOWN: Four men have been remanded until Monday to assist investigations into a case where a group of men attacked a Uber driver who allegedly outraged the modesty of a Vietnamese woman passenger.
Northeast district police chief ACP Anuar Omar said the four included the 37year-old husband of the woman and the 29-year-old driver of the ride-hailing service.
He said police also plan to remand the 43-year-old woman, whom they had detained yesterday, to facilitate investigations.
The woman called for a ride on Tuesday evening and claimed the driver had flashed his private parts and ordered her to touch them.
She later told her husband what happened after being urged to do so by her friends.
Anuar said the husband told the woman to call for the driver the next day and when he came, he was beaten up at about 4pm at Paya Terubong.
“The driver said he did not know why he was attacked and claimed he was defamed,” he said in a statement yesterday.
The driver is being investigated for assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage a person’s modesty while the other three are being investigated for rioting with weapons.
The remand order was issued by Court Registrar Ahmad Tajudin Zain yesterday morning when police made the application.
Several family members of the driver were seen sobbing as he was escorted by police.
Meanwhile, the Land Public Transport Commission wants all e-hailing providers to incorporate an SOS button into their mobile application to ensure public safety is guaranteed.
Its chief executive officer, Azharuddin Mat Sah, said the feature would allow passengers to notify the authorities immediately if they feel they are in danger.