China’s ride-hailing app Did Chuxing has suspended its carpool services after a driver allegedly raped and killed a female passenger.
Police in the city of Yueqing in Zhejiang province said they arrested a Didi driver who admitted raping and killing the 20-year-old woman.
The victim had used the carpooling service on Friday afternoon and after getting into a car had sent a text message to her friends calling for help, police said.
Officers said the suspect, 27, had confessed to raping and murdering his passenger when he was arrested early on Saturday morning.
The woman’s body has been found and the investigation is ongoing.
According to officials, a customer had already complained about the suspect when he allegedly took them to a remote place and followed them after they left the car.
Didi Chuxing will halt its Hitch carpooling service at midnight on Monday, it said. A company statement said the incident showed there were “many deficiencies with our customer service processes.”
Two of the company’s executives have also been fired following the alleged killing.
Up to 30 million rides are booked daily across China using the ride-hailing platform, the company claims.
The killing of the female passenger on Friday was the latest violent crime involving a Didi driver, only three months after another Didi driver allegedly killed a flight attendant.
On Saturday, Didi Chuxing apologised, saying it has "inescapable responsibility" for the incident and that it was “too high a cost to pay”.
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