Two women traveling from Riyadh to Kuwait via a hired driver and rental company encountered a frightening ordeal after crossing the border on April 17. The driver demanded payment despite an advance transfer of 250 Kuwaiti dinars to the firm and threatened to return them to Saudi Arabia, while diverting the vehicle into isolated desert areas near oil refinery zones in southern Kuwait. The passengers shared their live locations with friends and pressed to visit a police station as they feared for their safety until the driver took them to the company owner’s residence in Shuwaikh.
The women had booked the service through a company recommended by an embassy in Kuwait that initially reassured them with polite representatives and advance driver details. The assigned driver contacted them via WhatsApp the night before departure with questions already settled through the company. Early parts of the trip passed without incident as the driver remained conversational and even offered food along the way.
The atmosphere shifted abruptly after entry into Kuwait when the driver insisted on direct payment and stated he held no employment with the rental company. He had instead accepted the job through a separate ride dispatch platform creating immediate confusion inside the vehicle. Reliance on translation applications became necessary due to language barriers yet these tools failed completely after the border when internet service dropped.
The driver warned that he would turn the car around for the full return to Riyadh unless compensated on the spot. He then left the highway for desolate desert roads close to southern oil facilities heightening the sense of isolation. The women repeatedly requested a police station visit while maintaining continuous contact with friends through shared location data.
Attempts to reach the rental company met with silence as calls went unanswered and messages ignored for some time. The owner responded only after the women issued a final warning that they would report the incident to police. A heated argument in Arabic between the owner and driver then unfolded inside the car amplifying the passengers’ anxiety since they could not understand the exchange.
Instead of heading straight to authorities the driver proceeded first to the company owner’s home in Shuwaikh to settle his payment. The owner appeared dismissive upon arrival claiming he had been asleep despite the mid-afternoon timing. He handed 165 Kuwaiti dinars to the driver in front of the women before they could finally leave the location.
The driver called the women afterward to complain that he received less than the full prepaid sum. «It felt like we were no longer in control of where we were going» one of them later recounted. Friends who tracked their location met them at the residence to ensure their well-being.
Sources:
— https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/nightmare-on-the-road-riyadhkuwait-journey-leaves-two-women-terrified/
— https://x.com/arabtimeskuwait/status/2045043051261829356
— https://248am.com/mark/information/kuwait-to-saudi-and-bahrain-by-car-everything-you-need-to-know/
Добавить комментарий