The courage of a woman, who fought back against her bus driver who strangled, beat and robbed her helped police track him down within a day

Injuries suffered by attacker after woman fights back leads to his arrest

SHAH ALAM: The courage of a woman, who fought back against her bus driver who strangled, beat and robbed her - not only saved her life, but helped police track him down.

The 22-year-old chemical engineering student was reportedly waiting for a bus in front of the Shah Alam Hospital in Persiaran Kayangan on March 26 and boarded one at about 5pm.

Police said she was the only passenger on the bus and the 22-year-old took a seat directly behind the male driver.

The suspect then shut the door of the bus and then lunged at the victim, grabbing her by the neck and covering her face with a wet towel, in an attempt to choke her.

"As she was struggling, the suspect ripped off her tudung and ordered her to undo her clothes. The victim managed to fight her way out of the suspect's grip and ran towards the front of the bus and slammed on the horn," said Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Azisman Alias.

ACP Azisman

The ordeal did not end there, as the suspect choked her again from the back with his arm and placed a knife to her face. He then grabbed the cord from the bus' microphone and wrapped it around her neck.

The suspect pulled hard on the cord, strangling the woman as he punched her. The man then demanded for money.

Resisting the man, the woman obliged and handed him all the money in her purse, which was about RM100. Unsatisfied with the amount, he drove the victim to a bank in Klang for her to withdraw more.

"When he realised she did not have much, he left her and drove off. The victim was injured with bad strangulation marks but she survived and managed to report to the police," said ACP Azisman.

The woman's account and the detailed description of the suspect, allowed police to track down and arrest the 45-year-old in less than a day after the incident.

"The suspect was arrested in the Shah Alam Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) campus after he finished Friday prayers.

"The man confessed to the crime, saying that he was strapped for cash and saw an opportunity when the woman boarded his bus alone," said ACP Azisman.

The suspect was charged at the Shah Alam Magistrate's court on Monday and was given a seven-year jail sentence and four strokes of the rotan.