Woman allegedly harassed into paying for towing service after car accident
A woman claimed she was harassed by a group of men into paying for their towing service after being involved in a car accident in Malaysia recently.
Her car became unsafe to drive following the incident, leaving her stranded on the road alone late in the evening.
The men also refused to return the woman’s car key until the she paid them for the towing service, which had not been provided, plus wages.
The victim’s friend later shared about the incident in a Threads post on Tuesday (14 July). The post has since been removed.
Woman was involved in car accident
The woman said that she had bumped her car into another vehicle after it made an emergency brake.
No one was injured, and both parties settled the issue amicably, so they quickly went their separate ways.
However, 15 minutes later, the woman noticed her car’s temperature “rising rapidly”. She decided to stop, deeming it unsafe to drive.
Upon exiting her vehicle, the woman found herself alone on the road at 10.30pm.
Image courtesy of Erik Mclean on Pexels. For illustration purposes only.
Calling her parents, she was advised to call the expressway operator PLUS for assistance, while they contacted her insurance company and began driving to her location.
When she called PLUS, the woman was allegedly told the fastest they could arrive was in 30 minutes, leaving her with no choice but to wait on the roadside.
Even then, the woman recalled already feeling “terrified”.
Group of men force woman to use their towing service
Her fears came true when a car suddenly stopped behind her, with five men exiting the vehicle.
One of the men approached her, looked at her car, and said it was badly damaged and couldn’t be driven.
“He claimed he worked for a towing company under a ‘big Chinese company’ and kept saying he could help me,” she said.
Source: kozmoat98 on Canva for illustration purposes only
While he was talking, however, the woman smelled a strong stench of alcohol in his breath. Another man who came over also smelled of alcohol.
“The smell was so strong that it made me feel even more frightened and uncomfortable, especially because I was alone on a dark highway at night.”
The woman said she politely declined their offer to help her several times, saying she wanted to wait for the PLUS patrol.
Woman hands men her car key
However, the man was persistent and told the woman that PLUS would not help her and would only place traffic cones before leaving.
A third man then came over to repeat what the man said, but in a “much louder, more intimidating voice”.
The woman became increasingly terrified, so she told them she’d call her parents first and even handed her phone to one of the men so he could speak to her father.
When the woman was handed back her phone, her father told her not to take up the men’s offer and to keep waiting for the PLUS patrol.
Still, the men kept insisting and even told her father to call their “boss”.
“My father did, but the person who answered stayed silent for a few seconds before hanging up,” the woman shared.
Image courtesy of Amar Thool on Pexels. For illustration purposes only.
The woman said the men then asked for her car key, which she gave them.
Looking back now, I honestly don’t know why I gave it to them. I think I was just panicking and wasn’t thinking clearly.
Then, despite her not agreeing to use their service, the men told her that their tow truck was on the way.
Men force woman to pay before returning car key
Soon after, the PLUS patrol arrived, took photos of the woman’s car, and recorded her details.
However, what she thought would improve her situation actually made it worse. One of the men began shouting at the PLUS officers and recording videos of them.
The PLUS officers allegedly said they didn’t want to interfere with the men’s business, so they began to leave.
“I actually begged them to stay because I was scared and didn’t want to deal with those men alone. But they left anyway,” she claimed.
After the officers left, the woman repeatedly asked the men to return her car key, but they refused.
Image courtesy of revac film’s&photography on Canva. For illustration purposes only.
“They told me that if I wanted to cancel the tow truck and get my key back, I had to pay RM300 (S$93) for the towing fee and another RM250 (S$78) as “upah” (wages) – even though no towing had even been done.”
Desperate for them to leave her alone, the woman agreed to pay.
However, the man still refused to return her car key, insisting on seeing the payment first.
Woman shares experience to raise awareness
Fortunately, the woman made it home safely and received help from “genuinely kind people” afterwards.
“Looking back now, I’m still angry and frustrated,” she said.
I felt pressured into paying because I was alone, frightened, and just wanted the situation to end.
She said she shared her experience to raise awareness, especially to fellow women who often travel alone.
MS News has reached out to PLUS for a statement.
Also read: Man in M’sia argues with PHV driver while holding their baby, slaps wife who tried to intervene
Man in M’sia argues with PHV driver while holding their baby, slaps wife who tried to intervene
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Vitaliy Kanichuk on Pexels. For illustration purposes only.
