LISTEN: Commuters robbed in horror taxi ride
" It was two hours of hell ... "
In the wake of the shooting death of an Eldorado Park taxi driver two weeks ago, another horrific taxi crime has come to light.
The Eldorado Urban News Reporter spoke to one of the victims who described the harrowing ordeal in graphic detail. Criminals in the Johannesburg CBD operating at off-peak hours are targeting taxis traveling to Eldorado Park.
On May 9, at about 7:30 pm, a taxi collecting Eldos-bound commuters between Polly and Bree Streets in the city centre became the 15 passengers worst nightmare.
AUDIO:
According to a passenger who has requested anonymity, three armed black men boarded the taxi. At the corner of Columbine Road and Golden Highway, one of the men indicated that he wanted to get out of the taxi.
When the driver slowed to stop the taxi, the man drew a firearm and instructed the driver to move over to the passenger seat.
With the robbers in control of the vehicle, the taxi returned to what the passenger described as a secluded area where the passengers were ordered to hand over their valuables.
He described two hours of torture during which they were assaulted and ordered to hand over jewellery and credit cards.
“It was two hours of hell that we went through. We were tortured, we were assaulted.”
In a sadistic twist, the victim added that the robbers forced the male passengers to rape a female commuter at gun point. The woman’s identity has not been released and attempts to contact the Johannesburg Southern Suburbs Taxi Association for comment was unsuccessful.
The victim urges residents traveling by taxi should leave their valuables at home and pleaded with JSSTA to implement tighter controls to ensure passenger safety.
The victim described the horrifying ordeal as methodically planned and said that these criminals were not amateurs as the criminals made off with name brand clothing like the popular Carvella and looked out for commuters carrying bags from a well-known retailer – Edgars.
The victim said that the ordeal lasted from 8:15 pm to 10:15 pm and said: “We hope the police will do their jobs and apprehend these guys and bring them to book.
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