Teenage Couple Arrested After Brutal Attack and Carjacking of E-Hailing Driver

PONTIAN: Police have arrested a teenage couple believed to be involved in the violent assault and carjacking of an e-hailing driver in Johor, following a raid in Melaka.

Pontian district police chief Supt Hadzrat Hussien Mohd Hussein said the suspects, an 18-year-old man and his 17-year-old girlfriend, were detained at Pangsapuri Rakyat Sungai. Putat in Batu Berendam on Monday.

The arrests came after police received a robbery report at about 8.51am on May 10 involving a 40-year-old e-hailing driver in Taman Negara, Tanjung Piai, Pontian.

According to investigations, the teenage pair had booked the ride from an apartment in Danga Bay before allegedly directing the driver to Serkat, Pontian, under the pretext of collecting money.

“During the journey, the male suspect allegedly used a rope to choke the victim before dragging him out of the vehicle and fleeing with the car,” Supt Hadzrat said in a statement on Tuesday.

The victim, who hails from Kota Tinggi, suffered serious injuries in the attack and was later assisted by authorities.

Police later recovered the stolen vehicle abandoned in the Stulang Laut area. Investigators believe the suspects fled to Melaka by bus shortly after the incident.

Further checks revealed that the male suspect tested positive for drugs and has six previous criminal records, while the teenage girl has no prior offences.

Both suspects, who are unemployed and no longer attending school, have been remanded until May 18 to assist investigations.

The case is being investigated under Section 394 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt during a robbery, Section 379A for vehicle theft, and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.