Rideshare driver suffers knife wounds after being attacked by two passengers in Melbourne

A 26-year-old DiDi driver has sustained knife injuries on his left arm following an unprovoked attack in south-east Melbourne earlier this week.

CCTV footage shows DiDi driver Ranjodh Singh fought back and was stabbed during the hustle. Source: Supplied

Highlights

• 26-year-old DiDi driver attacked by two passengers in Melbourne
• Ranjodh Singh sustained knife injuries on his arm
• Victoria police says the matter is under investigation

A routine job turned into a terrifying nightmare for Ranjodh Singh when he picked up two passengers from Victoria Avenue in Springvale on the night of June 22.

Recalling the ordeal, the 26-year-old, who has been driving for rideshare services for the past five years said the two men ambushed him as soon as went to the pickup location at around 9 pm.

“One of the two men came and stood outside the driver’s window while the other one plonked himself behind me inside the car. The one in the car grabbed me by the neck while the other one nabbed my phone and tried to hurtle me out of the car,” he said.

The CCTV footage of the attack shared by Mr Singh shows that the young driver fought back and was stabbed during the hustle.

“The one who was sitting in the car right behind me wielded a knife and scratched my left arm. The only thing I could do was to press the race pedal, which I believe ultimately scared them off,” he said.

DiDi driver Ranjodh Singh incidentally installed a CCTV camera inside his car just two days before the attack. Source: Supplied

After receiving seven stitches on his arm and filing a police complaint, Mr Singh returned to the crime spot the following day.

"I found a knife on the same spot where I was attacked.”

Mr Singh who is still reeling under the shock after the incident said he had incidentally installed a CCTV camera inside his car just two days before the attack.

“I installed a camera inside my car just two days before I was attacked after my friend who is also a rideshare driver went through a similar incident. I believe these assaults are on the rise because a lot of people these days are distressed and have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

'No arrests have been made at this stage'

Victoria police told SBS Punjabi that there have been no arrests at this stage.

“The incident is being investigated by the Dandenong Crime Investigation Unit,” said the police spokesperson.

Chinese rideshare platform, DiDi which launched in Australia in 2018 said its response team has been providing support to Mr Singh ever since they were notified of the incident.

“DiDi is cooperating with Victoria Police in its investigation while also providing information in relation to any applicable insurance claim,” the rideshare company said in a statement to SBS Punjabi.

While there isn’t any conclusive data available on the number of crimes involving rideshare drivers in Victoria, latest numbers revealed by Crime Statistics Agency indicates that the state has witnessed an uptick in robberies, drug offences and harassment cases in 2020, which represents an overall increase on the previous year's numbers in all these categories.

Victoria police spokesperson said while the statistics are available, it should be noted that they may not accurately reflect all incidents involving prejudice motivated crime.

“This is due to the way information is captured across the state, the nature of self-reporting and the possibility that these crimes may be under-reported.”

Responding to the incident, community representative Dr Yadu Singh said an increase in such cases is a matter of concern for the community in Victoria.

“The police must investigate all possible angles and the real motive behind this incident. A lot of people from the Indian subcontinent work in the transport industry and therefore, it is a matter of grave concern,” he said.

“Drivers must ensure their safety on their own level. For instance, they can install shields to protect them from coming in physical contact with the passengers.”

DiDi on its part said the safety and well-being of all users is their “highest priority”.

“DiDi has a comprehensive safety toolkit as part of both its Rider and Driver apps. For the Driver app, this includes the ability to add trusted contacts, share trip itinerary information and an Emergency Button, which allows the driver to call ‘000’ from within the app. Upon notification of the incident, DiDi banned the rider from its platform.”

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