(Yicai Global) Aug. 27 -- Didi Chuxing has suspended carpooling services after a female passenger was murdered in Wenzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province, marking the second such case since May for China's biggest ride-hailer.

The victim, surnamed Zhao, used the Beijing-based firm's app at 1.00 p.m. on 25 Aug. to hitch a ride and went missing around one hour later after sending a message to a friend asking for help. Police have recovered the body and apprehended the driver, who confessed to the rape and murder of the woman.

Didi expressed its deepest condolences to the victim and family in a statement on Saturday, while admitting its failure to follow up on a complaint made about the driver the day before the murder. A female user complained that the driver had repeatedly asked her to sit in the front seat and drove to a remote area before following her for a while after she alighted.

The firm has suspended Didi Hitch, a service which pairs car owners and passengers on commonly used routes. The approvals processes for the service are known to be less stringent compared to other Didi options.

The company also removed General Manager Huang Jieli and Customer Service Vice President Huang Jinhong from their posts. Police said the company was slow to respond to two requests for information relating to the case. The firm said it would invest more resources in its customer service team to speed up complaints-handling.

Editor: William Clegg