An Uber driver was assaulted by a group of unidentified thugs last Sunday (12/2) in Jl. Pangosekan, Padang Tegal, Ubud. As a result, the driver, Peter Sunarto (31) suffered serious bruises on his face.
The incident occurred when Sunarto received a pick-up request on Monday around 4.20pm from one of the hotels in Jl. Hanoman, Ubud. Since the hotel doesn’t have any parking area he had to park his car at one of the minimarkets in Jl. Raya Pangosekan.
Suddenly about a dozen men appeared and asked him whether he was an Uber driver. A frightened Peter answered that he wasn’t from Uber and he was simply waiting to pick-up a friend. But these still unidentified men didn’t believe it and one of them grabbed Peter by the collar of his shirt then dragged him behind some parked cars and, along with the other men, punched him repeatedly in the face.
Consequently, the Semarang-born man suffered wounds on his temple, cheeks, and left jaw. After other local people secured him from the angry mob, Peter managed to escape and went straight to the police to report the assault.
Nyoman Wirajaya, Ubud Police Chief, confirmed the incident which they are still currently investigating, and have contacted the local taxi driver organization in Jl. Pangosekan. “The investigation is ongoing, and we have called several witnesses for questioning,” says Wirajaya.
There is a pact that no outside taxis are allowed to operate in the area of Ubud, meanwhile Peter’s Uber came from Denpasar. “Yes we do have that rule, but to know more about the reason behind the assault, the police are still handling the case so we can resolve it based on facts and the law,” Wiraya concludes.
