A district court Sunday approved the detention of a local taxi driver suspected of drugging and sexually attacking three Korean women who were on an i... A district court Sunday approved the detention of a local taxi driver suspected of drugging and sexually attacking three Korean women who were on an individual tour of Taiwan. (CNA photo)

Taipei (Taiwan News)--A district court Sunday approved prosecutors' requests to detain a local taxi driver suspected of drugging and sexually attacking three Korean women who were on an individual tour of Taiwan.

According to police investigation, the suspect surnamed Chan lives in New Taipei City, is married and has no criminal record. Chan is suspected of using a syringe to inject powerful tranquilizers into probiotic milk beverages at 6:20 p.m. on Jan. 12 at a parking lot in Jinguashi, New Taipei City, and offering them to the three Korean passengers, who took his taxi to the Shilin Night Market.

Two of the Korean women passed out after drinking the beverage, but the third one who just took a sip of the drink remained awake, the investigative report said. The taxi arrived at the night market around 9 p.m., and the one who stayed awake got off the taxi and went to visit the night market alone, the report said.

Chan drove the two sleeping women to a secluded area near the night market and began to rape one of them, the report said. The victim awoke, found out what was going on and called the police, the report said.

Chan came to a police station in Shilin District on Saturday night and admitted to drugging the three women and raping one of them.

After questioning Chan for the second time on Sunday, prosecutors requested a pretrial detention warrant for the taxi driver on the grounds that the suspect could face up to seven years in jail if he was charged with the felony of drugging and raping passengers on a public transportation vehicle.

The court approved the detention of the suspect on Sunday afternoon.