(Yicai Global) Aug. 27 -- The murder and rape of a female passenger of Didi Chuxing's car-pooling service has put China's leading ride-hailer under the spotlight. A look at the records from just one Beijing court reveals multiple cases of rape, sexual assault and theft by Didi drivers over the past three years.

The latest murder victim, surnamed Zhao, used the Beijing-based firm's app at 1.00 p.m. on Aug. 25 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 raping and killing the woman.

A review of Beijing Haidian District People's Court records in an article published this May reveals a rape case in each of July 2015, August 2016 and August 2016, resulting in jail terms totaling, four, 10 and 12 years.

"As a company deeply rooted in daily life with massive trading volume, it may be time for Didi to come up with a clean-up plan for its operations," the articles states. "This obviously cannot be solved with a CNY1 million penalty and the suspension of services."

The court listings also detail a series of assault cases traced back to Didi drivers. In May 2017, a Didi driver surnamed Li and a passenger had a fight after a squabble. Li beat the passenger causing left nasal bone and maxillary frontal fracture. Li was sentenced to criminal detention for six months, with probation for six months. There were at least two more cases of serious physical assault over the last three years, all resulting in jail time.

Theft has also been rife among Didi drivers with more than a dozen cases concluded this year by the Haidian district court alone. The offenders are normally newly hired drivers with cases occurring late at night, near subway stations and bus stops, and often targeting folding electric bikes.

Editor: William Clegg