Malaysian Woman Who Lost Her Child After Being Robbed By Uber Driver To Sue The Company
She was robbed last week when she was a month into her pregnancy.
By Sadho Ram — 28 May 2017, 05:22 AM
Last week, on 21 May, a pregnant sales assistant who works at Mid Valley was robbed by her Uber driver and his accomplice. The incident happened near the One Puchong Business Centre, between 9:30pm to 10:20pm.
The 26-year-old woman had booked her Uber ride from Mid Valley to Puchong Jaya.
She had failed to notice that there was a man sitting in the front passenger seat, whose presence she only realised after the Uber driver started chatting with him.
However, when the cab was near the One Puchong Business Centre, the man turned around holding a knife and told her to hand over her valuables.
"I became frightened and started crying and begged them not to hurt me because I'm pregnant," The Star Online quoted the woman, Wong Mei Yan, as saying.
While the man robbed Wong off her valuables, the driver kept on driving until he reached Koi Kinrara, where he dropped her off in the middle of the road at 10.20pm.
She was later helped by a passer-by who drove her to the police station.
Following her report, Serdang police on Wednesday night arrested a 22-year-old man believed to be the driver
According to Serdang Deputy OCPD Supt Lee Wai Leong, the Uber driver was arrested at the Pagoh R&R in Johor. He is from Kulim, Kedah, and has a criminal record.
His accomplice has also been identified through CCTV footage and the police are currently tracking his whereabouts, The Star Online had reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Uber driver has been remanded in police custody until 31 May.
Now, a week after the robbery, the woman, who was one month pregnant at the time, has suffered a miscarriage
In a press conference on Saturday, 27 May, Wong Mei Yan announced the news of her miscarriage, adding that she would take legal action against Uber for emotional distress and loss as a result of the incident.
Narrating her experience, Wong said that she had gone for a check-up twice after the incident – on Monday and Friday – and the result was okay.
However, she soon felt unwell after her check-up and that her family had sent her to the Serdang Hospital after she started bleeding heavily at around 3am Saturday.
"Upon inspection, the doctor confirmed that I have lost my baby," she said.
She claims she couldn't sleep for three nights following the robbery. "The incident caused me so much stress and anxiety, especially knowing that the driver's accomplice is still at large," Wong told the press conference.
According to a report in theSundaily, the woman was especially upset that Uber had not made any efforts to meet, explain and rectify matters. She claims to have had only received two calls from "Jerred", representing Uber, three days after the robbery.
"The first time he called, he asked if I was okay. The second time, he asked me 'Apa you mau' (What do you want), which I find as a threat," theSundaily reported her as saying.
Among the valuables that were stolen from her, she lost valuables worth over RM16,000, including two handphones, a Pandora bracelet and a diamond ring.
Following Wong's press conference on Saturday, Uber issued a statement saying that the incident was "deeply upsetting" and should not have taken place at all
The company claimed to be in contact with her, adding that they "will continue to engage her directly regarding this incident".
Uber also said they "have been working with the police since we were made aware within a few hours of the incident."
However, the question here is that how did the Uber driver, who had previous criminal cases as claimed by the police, passed the company's screening method for new drivers?
While on one hand, Uber advertises strongly about safety and the procedure of selecting drivers, on the other hand, their screening method appears to be a joke.
And now, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) has said they will haul up Uber to review its screening method
"Although this incident is classified as a criminal act which falls under the jurisdiction of PDRM (Police), SPAD views this matter very seriously and will summon Uber immediately to review its current drivers' screening process," SPAD said.