Minibus taxi begins terrorising north commuters

Yet another minibus taxi was reportedly “terrorising” unsuspecting passengers in the Pretoria North policing precinct, police warned.

“This time around, we would like to warn taxi commuters to be on alert of a red Toyota Venture,” police spokesperson Sergeant Tsakani Miyen said.

In April, she warned commuters to be vigilant of a white Toyota Venture which operated under a similar guise.

“Just like with the other Venture, there are four occupants who drive around looking for unsuspecting commuters that they can rob,” Miyen said.

However, these suspects reportedly only took cash and cellphones.

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Previously, the suspects allegedly robbed the unsuspecting commuters at gunpoint, took valuables and demanded their bank cards and PIN to withdraw whatever money was available.

“We would like to tell taxi commuters to be very cautious when they take taxis, especially those with four male occupants,” Miyen said.

In 2018, members of the infamous “Toyota Quantum gang” which terrorised communities was arrested by the police in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria.

At the time, the gang targeted small businesses as they reportedly lacked proper security measures and were vulnerable due to their trading hours.

Upon executing the arrest, one suspect was fatally wounded during a shoot-out with police while two others were arrested.

At the time, police said they were investigating suspicions that taxi drivers who were renting out their vehicles to the group to commit the crimes.

The gang’s modus operandi was for one of them to pretend to be a customer before the others entered to rob the store.

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