Grab driver allegedly beat Chinese student with tripod for closing car door too hard

SHAH ALAM - When two Chinese students were travelling to Kuantan, they were allegedly attacked by a Grab driver with one of them sustained severe injuries.

The student, who was attacked and sustained several injuries, believed that the attack was a result of her shutting the car door forcefully.

Yuan, 22, who studied at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for three years told reporters during a press conference that she and another friend went on a two-day tour in Kuantan last Friday.

Yuan and her friend visited the Kuantan 188 tower and then used Grab to return to the Sky Tree Hotel to pick up some stuff.

The moment they stepped out of the vehicle, she claimed that the driver assaulted them with a tripod, breaking her right index and middle fingers.

She added that she later sought treatment at Tung Shin Hospital.

"After the attack, my friend and I quickly packed our belongings and took a bus to KL as we feared further retaliation from the driver.

"I think these cases are related because I remembered that another driver muttered and gestured at my friend and me for closing the door too hard."

Yuan claimed that two days following the assault, Grab notified her that the driver's account had been suspended.

Soon after, she started getting multiple phone calls that she thought were from the driver.

"I think the driver was upset that Grab had suspended his account, so he made those calls to threaten me," she added.

Since then, Yuan has filed a police report, claiming that she did so to pursue justice because she believed that letting the driver off the hook would put her own safety in danger.

Meanwhile, Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chon Siang who was present at the press conference said the Pahang state government would cover Yuan's medical expenses.

He had earlier assisted Yuan in filing the police report and urged the authorities to apprehend the motorist right away because his acts had damaged the state's reputation as a tourist destination.

"The Grab driver should not have escalated the issue and resorted to violence, regardless of the conflict or discontent.

"I hope that the incident would not damage Pahang's tourism sector, the bilateral relationship between China and Malaysia or the trust that Chinese visitors would have in the destination," he said.