(Jamaica Star) Hoodlums posing as taxi drivers and passengers have been preying on unsuspecting commuters in the Corporate Area, abducting and relieving them of their money, phone and other valuables.
One of the latest incident saw a woman being held at knife point and abducted after she took a white-plate taxi on Red Hills Road, St Andrew. Her destination was Half-Way Tree, but she ended up in the Waltham Park area, after being driven around for some time.
The woman, Jane Brown*, 26, said that after she got in the taxi, she immediately realised that something was wrong. A young lady was in the shotgun seat, and a male passenger around the back with her. The driver rolled up the windows and then took a swift turn off the main road. When Brown shouted to be let out, the man who appeared to be a passenger attacked and pulled a knife at her.
“They took my phone, my card, and gave me some bruises. They drove me around for about 45 minutes before dropping me off in some alley in Waltham Park. It’s traumatising,” Brown told THE STAR.
Superintendent of Police Aaron Fletcher, the commanding officer for St Andrew North Police Division, said another such incident took place about a month ago. “The three men have since been arrested and taken into custody by detectives from the Half Way Tree Police Station,” he said.
Checks with the Constant Spring Police Station revealed that at least five such reports have been made in recent times.
Fletcher says there seems to be a frequency in robberies recently.
“These criminals, they come in and they prey on the individuals within the space. We recently had a fatal shooting, which emanated from one such attempt to rob a lady. We are aware of the occurrences, but we are somewhat constrained in our ability to apprehend these persons. We have had to initiate and establish some strategies.”
HORRIFYING STORY
Senior Superintendent of Police Jacqueline Coombs, commanding officer for the St Andrew Central Police Division, said that just last week, a few persons were arrested for similar acts.
“We held on to a set about a week ago. There was a set of persons who were targeting some persons, but we held on to them.”
Meanwhile, Brown, in relating her horrifying story, said that the passengers as well as the driver were wearing masks, and before she knew it, the male passenger in the back attacked her.
“He shoved his hand at my throat and started fisting me in my face. I started to scream. He took out a ratchet knife and aimed it towards my face. I lifted my hand to block it and it ended up cutting me on my hand. It was a tiny cut, but the blood frightened me,” she recalled.
Brown said that the man blindfolded her using a kerchief, tied her hands and “shoved my head down beside his leg”.
“I heard him going through my bag. He took out my phone and my card, and asked me for the passwords for both, threatening to put a hole through me if I give them the wrong password. They drove around for a bit. All this time I was crying, asking them where they taking me, what they going do to me, begging them not to kill me.”
They eventually stopped and Brown peeked through the blindfold and realised that they were at a gas station. The female at the front then exited the vehicle to use her bank card.
“They drove around again for some time, then the male passenger pushed me out the vehicle with the blindfold still on, and they drove away. I had intention of at least getting the licence plate number, but when they let me off, they anticipated that and the male passenger came around and sat in the trunk, and used his feet to cover the plates as the drove away,” she said.
* Name changed to protect identity.
