JOHOR BARU: A 77-year-old taxi driver claimed that he was robbed of his smartphone and RM40 by a passenger who held a cement scraper to his neck.
Hoo Kong Yun said the man, in his mid-20s, hailed his taxi at a shopping mall in Taman Pelangi around 10am on April 23 and went on a 20-minute ride before striking.
The senior citizen said the passenger, wearing a cap and face mask, sat in the back seat of his taxi and had wanted to go to Yayasan Pelajaran Johor in Larkin at first.
“When we reached the destination, he changed his mind and asked me to drive him to another area in Taman Larkin Jaya.
“After going in and out of several streets, we came to a quiet area near some squatter houses and that was when he whipped out a cement scraper and held it to my neck.
“He told me to keep driving and slipped his other hand into my left pants pocket before taking my money amounting to about RM40,” he told a press conference held by Stulang assemblyman Andrew Chen Kah Eng on Friday (May 27).
He said the robber also took his smartphone before getting out of the vehicle, and into a silver coloured Proton Pesona waiting nearby in Jalan Tekukor.
“I remained calm throughout the incident and thankfully I managed to escape unhurt.
“I hope my taxi driver peers can be alert about this and be more careful when picking up passengers who dress suspiciously,” said Hoo, who has been a taxi driver for more than 20 years.
Meanwhile, Chen urged the police to look into the incident as it puts the lives of taxi drivers at risk.
“Many foreign countries have already installed closed circuit television at the back seat of taxis to ensure the safety of both the driver and passengers.
“With the constant safety monitoring, passengers will think twice before acting or carrying out illegal activities,” he added.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat confirmed that a police report about the incident has been received and that investigation is ongoing under Section 392 of the Penal Code for robbery.