THE car of a 48-year-old taxi driver was hijacked on Monday night by two robbers, one armed with a handgun, at Zeelugt New Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

The driver, who is also from Zeelugt, operates his Toyota Premio PSS 9929 as a taxi and is attached to a taxi service in the said community. He was reportedly approached by the two individuals who hired him to take them further into the same village.

Reports indicate that while heading into the Zeelugt New Scheme, one of the passengers in the rear seat placed a gun to the back of the taxi driver’s head and ordered that he stop and exit the car.

The driver who exited the vehicle with his keys was then ordered to hand them over. He complied after the gunman pointed the weapon in his direction. The gunman then jumped into the driver’s seat and with his accomplice they sped off making good their escape.

Relatives said that the taxi driver was beaten senselessly by the bandits before he handed over the car keys. A report was made to the Police Station and an investigation is ongoing.