Handing over car to hijackers saved his life
TAXI driver Latchman Rattan called Naresh, of Non Pareil, said, that not hesitating to hand over his motor car is a decision which saved him after he was hijacked by two men on Wednesday. He recalled that his ordeal began at 13:30hrs that day, when he was at Coldingen Turn, the location from where taxi drivers solicit passengers, when two men approached and requested to be taken to Dazzell Housing Scheme.
Rattan said the passengers told him to drive along the Railway Embankment and he did not become suspicious since they were well-dressed and seemed businesslike until he felt a cord wrapped tightly around his neck, making him barely able to breathe.
He said the duo ordered him not to resist and he complied as they said they would not harm him but wanted his ‘Toyota Premio’ HB 9523 and he must cooperate because the man in the back seat had a gun and would not hesitate to use it.
Rattan said, all the while, the one seated behind him kept a tight squeeze on his neck until the other forced him out of his own vehicle at Dazzell Housing Scheme Railway Embankment.
The robbers escaped, also taking his HTC cellular phone and his earnings for the day, about $5,000.
Rattan said, before he was ejected, the men warned him to relax and not call the police, as they would find and kill him.
However, as they drove away, he saw another taxi and stopped the driver, asking him to use his cell phone with which he telephoned his father and related what had transpired.
Rattan’s father also mobilised his colleague taxi drivers and they went in different directions in quest of finding the stolen car.

Panicked
He said the missing car was soon spotted on the Railway Embankment near Melanie Cinema Road and, as they were being pursued, the hijackers panicked in the vicinity of Lusignan and clipped a Canter truck while negotiating traffic and turning onto the Lusignan Main Road, ending up in a trench at Lusignan Golf Course Road, where the car in which they were turned turtle.
Rattan said the hijackers managed to emerge from the water-soaked vehicle and fled in different directions.
But, with nearby residents chasing them, one was apprehended while the other, carrying the stolen phone and money, was lucky to avoid capture.
The police showed up after Rattan hitched a ride to file a report at Vigilance Station, also on East Coast Demerara.
He explained, though, that if it were not for swift action by his father, brother and colleague taxi drivers, the hijackers would have gone with the car he purchased only a year ago.
Rattan was very grateful for life yesterday, noting that though his car is badly damaged and needs a lot of repairs, he still has his life.
The father of one acknowledged that being a taxi driver is very risky because it is difficult to differentiate criminals from genuine passengers.
Up to press time, police said one of the two suspects was still in custody, assisting with the investigations while the hunt continues for the accomplice he claims he does not know.