A woman e-hailing driver endured a terrifying ordeal after she was allegedly assaulted and choked by three teenage passengers near a forested area in Kuala Sungai Baru during the early hours of May 14.
Alor Gajah police chief Ahmad Abu Bakar said the suspects consisted of two teenage boys aged 15 and 17, and two girls aged 14, with only one of them still attending school.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 41-year-old victim picked up the four teenagers from Bukit Rambai at around 12.30am to send them to Pekan Kuala Sungai Baru.
According to Ahmad, upon arriving near a forested area in Kuala Sungai Baru, one of the suspects asked the driver to stop the vehicle, claiming they wanted to look for someone and allegedly did not have enough money to make an online payment for the fare.
“Several minutes later, three of the suspects suddenly turned aggressive and attacked the victim using a hard object. One of the male suspects also allegedly choked the victim from behind the driver’s seat while threatening her not to seek help,” he said in a statement.
Despite the attack, the victim managed to escape by driving away from the scene before lodging a police report.
Police said the victim suffered swelling and bruises on several parts of her body, along with visible strangulation marks on her neck.
“Medical examinations confirmed that the injuries sustained by the victim were consistent with physical assault,” Ahmad added.
Further investigations found that the suspects had instructed the victim to repeatedly drive along the same route and stop twice during the journey before the incident occurred.
Based on the victim’s statement, one of the female suspects allegedly assaulted her using an iron rod, while another female suspect pulled her hair. One of the male suspects is believed to have strangled the victim from the back seat, while another male suspect reportedly fled the scene.
Police confirmed that all four teenagers were arrested later the same day and remanded until Tuesday to assist investigations.
The case is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons or objects.
Authorities have urged members of the public with information regarding the incident to contact the Alor Gajah district police headquarters or investigating officer Sergeant Harith Francis Nuang Anak Agan to assist investigations.
