Malaysian Tourist Alleges He Was Almost Kidnapped By An E-Hailing Driver In Thailand
The driver was allegedly providing detailed descriptions of the passengers to the person on the other end of the line.
A Malaysian has taken to Facebook to share his experience of allegedly almost being kidnapped by an e-hailing driver, along with four of his friends, during their trip to Thailand
According to the tourist, Andrew Tong, this terrifying incident happened on the last day of their vacation in Bangkok.
They booked a four-wheel drive from inDrive, an e-hailing app, as they were heading to Don Mueang International Airport on Monday, 4 September. The car picked up Tong and his friends at 7pm from their hotel.
However, Tong and his friends started to get nervous when they realised that the windows of the Isuzu D-Max were heavily tinted.
Moreover, throughout the ordeal, the e-hailing driver was constantly on a call with someone, which further heightened their worries.
Image via Andrew Tong (Facebook)
The situation became unnerving when Tong, who understood Thai, realised that the driver was giving information about them to an undisclosed individual on the phone
The driver allegedly provided detailed descriptions of the passengers to the person on the other end of the line, noting specifics such as their gender, nationality, and other details.
"Now I'm fetching three girls in the car, and two of their friends from Malaysia. Got boys and girls," Tong recounted, quoting the driver's conversation.
He emphasised that the driver's actions were far from normal and raised serious concerns about their safety.
"While it may be common for some drivers to make personal calls during a ride, it is highly unusual for a driver to report every move and offer details of their passengers to a random person," he said.
As he translated the driver's conversation to his friends, he realised that the driver was also aware that Tong understood Thai and he explicitly mentioned this to the individual on the phone.
Growing increasingly wary, Tong and his friends decided to discreetly check their location and route on Google Maps and Waze
To their alarm, they discovered that the driver was using a different route.
According to Tong, they were expected to arrive at their destination within half an hour. However, the driver's screen displayed a longer 50-minute route.
Tong and his friends asked the driver to make a quick stop for a restroom break.
However, the driver said he could not stop at the side of the road because the police might fine him.
The driver then assured them that he would pull over at the nearest gas station, but as they checked the map, Tong said there was no gas station along the route.
Tong added that the driver had also relayed to the person on the call that they were requesting to get down.
Image via Andrew Tong (Facebook)
In a desperate move, Tong and his friends decided to get out of the car while it was still cruising on the main road
He mentioned that it was easy to retrieve their luggage as it was on the back of the four-wheel drive.
Tong added that while the driver was visibly surprised by their actions, he did not chase them for their ride's fare and immediately left them on the side of the road, which he thought was odd.
Tong concluded that his post is not meant to incite fear in those who would want to visit Thailand
Instead, it was to remind people to be mindful, particularly when travelling abroad.
Meanwhile, inDrive has told Must Share News that there was no foul play involved.
After being alerted of the viral Facebook post, the company conducted an internal investigation and found that the issue was "a result of miscommunication".
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