Singapore ride-hailing service suspends Chinese driver for racist comments at passenger
Singapore: A Singapore-based Chinese cab driver who allegedly hurled racist comments at a woman and her daughter assuming she was of Indian origin has been suspended by the ride-hailing platform Tada, the company has said.
A spokesperson for the company said the action was taken against the driver following a thorough investigation into the incident, which was recorded on video by the passenger and her young daughter.
Last Saturday, Facebook user Jan Hoeden uploaded two videos that captured an argument between her and the driver, as well as a screenshot of the Tada app that showed the driver's face and her travel route.
Hoeden, who is 46 years old and of Eurasian origin, said in her post that the argument started when the driver "accused" her of giving him wrong directions. The woman claimed that she did not even advise or say anything to him.
As the conversation got more heated, the driver can be heard telling the passenger that she should not be "hao lian", or Teochew for boastful.
When Hoeden replied in Mandarin that she was not "hao lian", the driver began raising his voice and said, "You are Indian, I am Chinese." He later told Hoeden that she was "the very worst" customer, even as she told him repeatedly that she was not Indian but Eurasian.
In its statement on Tuesday, Tada said the driver's remarks that insinuated racial differences are "completely unacceptable" with the platform's community guidelines and ethos.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
