eCabs Driver Attacked And Robbed By Teenagers After Ride To Marsaskala
A 31-year-old Indian cab driver working in Malta was allegedly robbed by three teenage boys after driving them to Marsaskala.
“They attacked me and took my wallet which had around €200 and all my identifications and licenses, and ran away,” the cab driver told Lovin Malta.
He recalled how two boys, “who looked around 16 years old,” booked a cab from near Bormla at around 5.30pm yesterday.
“After about one kilometre, I stopped the cab to pick up their friend from Żabbar and drove them off to Marsaskala,” he said.
“When we reached the destination I asked whether they wanted to pay by cash or card, to which they replied that they don’t have a card or cash.”
The driver said he told the boys that if they didn’t have the money, “It’s ok, you can leave it. I have more work to do.”
The boys allegedly insisted on paying the driver via Revolut, although the driver stood firm in his stance, saying “It’s ok if you don’t have the cash, just leave it.”
They asked him for his phone password, “so that they can send the money.”
The cab driver said that as soon as they said this, he smelled a rat, since he knew they didn’t need his phone to send him the money.
When the driver told them that they don’t need his phone to send him the money, he was immediately attacked by one of the boys who was standing outside his open window.
“He grabbed my right arm and held it tightly while I was in the driver’s seat with the seatbelt fastened. Naturally, I struggled but another one of the boys quickly grabbed my wallet and started running. They grabbed the coin box that was in my car and threw it at the vehicle,” he recalled.
“I panicked a lot. However, there was a kind Maltese man who helped me call the police,” the man explained.
Right after, he went to the police to file a report about what had transpired. The police also accompanied him to the location of the incident.
The police confirmed that the man filed a report and told Lovin Malta that “investigations are currently underway”.
“It was all very planned,” the driver told the newsroom, explaining that “there are no CCTV cameras at the areas where I picked the boys up and dropped them off”.
“All the boys had a ziplock with marijuana in their hands and told me to buy some. I proceeded to ask how old they were, as they appeared to be very young. One of them told me that he is 28 years old, evidently lying,” the cab driver told the newsroom.
Meanwhile, eCabs said that the company “has been made aware of the alleged incident and is actively collaborating with law enforcement, a practice we consistently uphold in such situations. Our immediate response included reaching out to the affected driver to provide our support.”
“At eCabs, the safety and security of our partner drivers are paramount, and we have undertaken several measures to minimise the occurrence of such regrettable incidents,” it continued, adding that they are “committed to finding more ways to keep drivers and riders safe.”
If you have encountered similar situations, send an email to [email protected].
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