A 24-year-old woman, identified by her initials SS, was allegedly kidnapped by a driver working for ride-hailing app Grab this week, an ordeal that reportedly lasted 7 hours.
According to the police, SS ordered a Grab Car on Monday morning to go to work in Tanah Abang from her house in Tambora, West Jakarta. A driver identified by the initials GG picked her up, and SS sat in the middle row of his car, unaware that GG had two friends hiding in the back row.
“After she got in, she was seized [by the two men in the back row] using the culprit’s jacket,” said AKBP Edy Suranta Sitepu, head of the Crime Investigation Unit of the West Jakarta Police, as quoted by Kompas yesterday.
SS’ kidnappers then made threats against her life as GG took her for a ride around town for seven hours.
“She is traumatized. Her necklace, bracelet, ATM card and mobile phone were all taken,” Edy said.
“She felt like they put a gun on her, but she couldn’t see because she was blindfolded.”
GG then drove SS back to her house. The police have yet to locate GG and his accomplices’ whereabouts.
Grab Indonesia yesterday released a statement condemning SS’ alleged kidnapping.
“Grab’s management regrets the criminal act committed by a partner driver for Grab. Our priority right now is to give our full support and assistance to the passenger and her family,” said Grab Indonesia Managing Director Ridzki Karamadibrata, as quoted by Kompas.
This particular MO is not the first of its kind to happen in Jakarta, though it is the first reported case involving a ride-hailing service. In 2014, there was a spate of late night robberies in regular taxis in which the drivers’ accomplices hid inside the trunk of the car.
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