Woman almost raped in JB after getting into car she thought was her Grab ride

JOHOR BARU — A woman was almost raped in a bush at Jalan Susur 2, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak — some 15 minutes from the Johor Baru Checkpoint — on Monday (Jan 7) after she wrongly entered a car which she thought was the Grab service she booked.

In the 11pm incident, the 23-year-old woman received a notification on the driver’s arrival and she did not check the car’s model and plate number before entering the vehicle.

Johor Baru south police chief Assistant Commissioner Shahurinain Jais said the victim was supposed to get a Perodua Bezza car, but instead, she entered the suspect’s Proton Gen2.

“The victim booked a ride from Jalan Yahya Awal to go to Larkin. After receiving a notification from the Grab driver, she straight away got into the car at the pick-up location without checking the plate number and the model.

“The suspect then impersonated a Grab driver and drove off, before the victim realised he wasn’t using the right route to Larkin.

“The suspect was circling in the same area so the victim told him off before the suspect stopped his car at the crime scene,” he said, adding that the driver then moved to the backseat and slapped the victim for trying to escape.

“The victim managed to escape but fell on the road. The suspect then pulled down the victim’s pants and released semen, but the victim believed there was no penetration as she did not feel any pain,” he said.

Mr Shahurinain said the suspect then left the victim about four minutes later.

“The victim hailed another car and lodged a report at the Larkin Police Station,” he said.

Checks on the victim’s body found no injury and she has been taken to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital for further treatment and to swab for any DNA of the suspect’s.

Less than 24 hours after the incident, police had arrested a Pakistani man believed to be the suspect in the rape attempt.

Mr Shahurinain said the 31-year-old suspect was arrested along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak on Tuesday night.

“We also seized a Proton Gen2, a mobile phone, a black T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans and a bunch of keys.

“The seized items and the suspect were brought to Johor Baru south police headquarters for further investigation under Section 376/511 of the Penal Code,” he said.

The suspect admitted to have been involved in the case and he has been remanded for six days until next Monday.

“His urine tested negative for drugs,” Mr Shahurinain added. NEW STRAITS TIMES