A Boksburg North man was robbed of his personal belongings by thugs travelling in a minibus taxi on November 8.
The victim told the police that he got into the taxi on the corner of Trichardts Road and Market Street, and once in the kombi he heard one of the people seated behind him, who he thought was also a passenger, shouting.
He turned his head and looked behind to find one of the men pointing a gun at him while the taxi was moving. The gunman stole his money and cellphone. The taxi travelled with him until Kempton Park where he was later dumped.
Another commuter told the Boksburg police that he was robbed of his belongings by three men he thought were fellow passengers in a minibus taxi, a Toyota Hiace, on November 8.
The man from Soweto got into the taxi at about 12pm in Leondale, and thereupon, one of the three men aimed a gun at him, demanding his belongings.
They took his ring, wrist watch, cellphone and wallet that had R250 before he was dumped in Boksburg.
In the previous cases, the robbers travelled along different taxi routes and pretended their vehicles were legitimate taxis, targeting unsuspecting commuters.
Once their targeted victims were in the taxi, they would then drive with them to a secluded area and rob them of their personal belongings.
Breakthrough
Members of the EMPD and Boksburg SAPS, however, made a breakthrough in October last year when they arrested a gang of 10 men believed to be involved in the series of robberies involving a white Toyota Quantum in Boksburg and other parts of Ekurhuleni.
Their Toyota Quantum was seized. Tablets, cellphones and bank cards reportedly stolen during the series of robberies were allegedly found in the suspects’ possession.
READ STORY: Boksburg SAPS arrest 10 suspects of a taxi gang of robbers
Warning issued
Following the previous incidents, police issued a warning saying commuters should avoid taxis without taxi association stickers on it.
This has, however, proven to not be enough to help commuters identify the good and the bad taxis on the road because the confiscated Toyota Quantum had Benoni Taxi Association/Transport Operators Pace initiators Conglomerated Associations (Topica) and National Taxi Alliance stickers on it.
Police are urging those who had fallen victims to such robberies to contact the Boksburg police on 011 841 6858.
