KUALA LUMPUR, June 12— Grab Malaysia issued a formal apology today after police detained one of its drivers who allegedly raped a woman passenger in his car at Bandar Putra Permai, Seri Kembangan.
“We regret that there has been an incident reported on 11 June where a GrabCar driver had allegedly sexually assaulted a passenger. The news is deeply distressing and our priority now is to assist and provide support to the passenger and her family, as well as fully cooperate with the police and relevant authorities,” its country head Sean Goh said in a statement today, adding that he is unable to share information on the details of the case as it is now under police investigation.
“The safety of both our passengers and drivers is, and always will be, a priority for Grab. I am truly sorry that we have let down our users and community in this instance, and humbly ask our passengers and drivers to please allow us to keep improving the safety and reliability of our service,” Goh added.
He said the driver has also been removed from the ride-hailing app, pending police investigation.
Goh said the Grab mobile application currently has a PDRM ‘panic button for its drivers to immediately contact the police in cases of emergency, which would be made available for passengers as well.
Serdang Police chief ACP Megat Mohamad Aminuddin Megat Alias said the 30-year-old man was picked up at 10pm yesterday in Sungai Buloh in a police operation by a team from the Serious Crimes Division of the Serdang Police headquarters.
National newswire agency Bernama reported Megat saying that the man allegedly raped the 29-year-old woman, who was in a state of drunkenness, at about 4am after she had hailed the service and then sent her to her house.
