Police have called on taxi drivers to install vehicle tracking systems following an attack on a 30-year-old male driver from Morningside, Bulawayo.
The driver, who operates under the InDrive ride-hailing platform, was robbed at approximately 4 PM on Thursday.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Bulawayo spokesperson, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, said the incident occurred after the driver responded to a booking from a woman who requested a ride from the Palace Hotel to the Suburbs area. Said Inspector Msebele:
The complainant proceeded to the Palace Hotel to pick up the accused person and drove her to Suburbs. Upon reaching Park Road, she indicated her preferred drop-off point.
However, upon arrival at the location, three male suspects approached from the opposite direction, she said. Added Msebele:
They opened the vehicle doors, produced okapi knives, and threatened to kill the driver if he screamed.
They searched the car and stole a Huawei P40 cellphone, a small bag, US$90 in cash, a modulator, and five litres of engine oil before fleeing the scene…
The total value of the stolen items is estimated at US$220. Nothing has been recovered so far.
Inspector Msebele noted that taxi drivers are increasingly being targeted by criminals employing deceptive tactics to lure them into vulnerable situations. She said:
We encourage them to install vehicle trackers for their safety. We also appeal to anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects to come forward.
I suspect the woman customer here, she knows the culprits, if the police had browsed her phone immediately otherwise they were going to get leads to these bastards.