GEORGE TOWN, June 8 ― A ride-hailing services driver accused of molesting a woman passenger has been arrested, along with two other men said to have assaulted him in retaliation.
Penang northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Anuar Omar said the 29-year-old Uber driver is being investigated for allegedly molesting a Vietnamese woman passenger, 42, on June 6.
The policeman related that the woman claimed the driver had unzipped his pants and commanded her to touch his private part during the ride.
“She followed his order and had immediately let go. The driver even took a selfie,” Anuar told reporters today.
The victim was initially reluctant to report the incident and was advised by friends to tell her Malaysian husband after the driver phoned her later that night.
The 37-year-old husband told his wife to get the driver to pick her up at home the next day.
When the driver arrived, he was beaten up with baseball bats by the husband and a group of men.
“The driver has denied allegations of molest and insisted that he didn't know why he was beaten up by the group,” Anuar said.
The driver was treated at the Penang Hospital for his injuries and has since been discharged.
Anuar said the driver is being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code for using criminal force with intention to outrage the modesty of a person while those who assaulted him are being probed under Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting using weapons.
He added that police have confiscated the handphones of the driver, the woman passenger and her husband to aid in the investigation.
