Jamaicans cautioned to be careful of robbers posing as taxi men
Key Points(5)
- Police in Jamaica are warning the public, particularly locals and foreign visitors who travel using public transportation, about an emerging trend in Kingston and St.
- Andrew where several persons have been robbed by men posing as taxi operators.
- The Half-Way-Tree Police are reporting that two men traveling in a gray Mazda Demio motorcar have robbed several unsuspecting persons in the past few days.
- The men typically operate in morning and evening peak hours and frequent routes along Molynes Road, Papine, and Hagley Park Road, usually heading towards Half-Way-Tree in St.
- The motorcar poses as a route taxi but uses white registration plates.
Police in Jamaica are warning the public, particularly locals and foreign visitors who travel using public transportation, about an emerging trend in Kingston and St. Andrew where several persons have been robbed by men posing as taxi operators.
The Half-Way-Tree Police are reporting that two men traveling in a gray Mazda Demio motorcar have robbed several unsuspecting persons in the past few days. The men typically operate in morning and evening peak hours and frequent routes along Molynes Road, Papine, and Hagley Park Road, usually heading towards Half-Way-Tree in St. Andrew. The motorcar poses as a route taxi but uses white registration plates. There are similar reports in at least one other Corporate Area division—Kingston Central (downtown Kingston).
According to reports, the men lure would-be passengers into the motorcar then deviate from the stated route. They then rob the passengers of cash, bank cards and any other valuables. They also demand PINs for bank cards.
One man told CNW of a harrowing experience with the hoodlums.
“I was at a bus stop on Hagley Park Road when this car drove up and said Half-Way Tree. I went in and after a while the driver said he was going to get gas at a service station. I was sitting in the back seat directly behind the passenger in the front when all of a sudden the man flicked back the seat pinning me in the car. He pointed a gun in my face and demanded my money and ATM card, all the while threatening to shoot me if I made an alarm. He took my wallet and removed $5,000 and my bank card, and ordered me to give him my pin number. I had no choice. They then drove out of the gas station and let me off near Half-Way-Tree before driving away,” the man said.
The police are now hunting for the robbers and are reminding commuters in the Jamaican capital to:
- Use only registered public passenger vehicles, and as much as possible to avoid traveling with strangers.Always inform others of your whereabouts. Inform a trusted friend or
- Always inform others of your whereabouts. Inform a trusted friend or relative give information about where you are going, who you intend to meet with and when you expect to return.
- Use your mobile phone to take a picture of the driver, the driver’s identification card or give a description of the driver to a friend along with the license plate information of the vehicle.
- Remember to download the Ministry of National Security “Stay Alert” Application from the Google Play Store.
