Bus driver stabbed by commuter on morning rounds, in critical condition

A Rapid Penang bus driver was stabbed while on duty this morning, allegedly by a female passenger.

The 6am incident happened as the victim Aisyamudin Yaacob, 27, was driving along Jalan Paya Terubong towards Balik Pulau, police said.

Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mior Faridalatrash Wahid said the driver was critically wounded by the suspect.

He was given help by another Rapid Penang bus driver, who passed Aisyamudin's bus that was stopped by the road.

The other driver S. Shanker immediately called for an ambulance, he said.

"We still do not know what sparked the incident," Mior said, adding that the suspect has yet to be found.

"The bus has no closed circuit television that caught the incident on video."

It is uncertain whether there were other passengers onboard.

The victim's supervisor V.K. Siva Kumar, 38, lodged a police report at 6.50am after he was notified by staff at the bus company's Sungai Dua depot.

Mior said Siva Kumar told the police that Aisyamudin had described the woman as in her 40s and appeared mentally unsound when he was helped by Shanker before he passed out.

"Shanker found the man very weak after losing a lot of blood. Aisyamudim told him about the woman and said he was attacked with a sharp object," he said.

The victim is now being treated at the Penang Hospital red zone. His current condition is listed as critical.

Mior said the victim lost a lot of blood in his right thigh, as the weapon hit his central nervous system.

"He is still unconscious," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, which operates Rapid Penang, in a statement said the company will give its full cooperation to the police.

The statement added that the company was also very concerned about the driver, who is still in critical condition.

"The driver is currently undergoing surgery at the Penang General Hospital. In the meantime, we will render every assistance possible to his family.

"We also hope the suspect will be arrested as soon as possible," he added. – October 6, 2014.

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