Police warn people never to accept rides from strangers

Abu Dhabi: As the mercury rises in the country, waiting for a bus or a taxi under the scorching sun is miserable. But taking a lift from strangers to escape the heat may cost you dearly.

Abu Dhabi Police have warned that people should never accept rides from strangers as this may jeopardise their safety and they run the risk of losing their possessions.

“In Abu Dhabi, it is unlikely that you will be the victim of a scam or a robbery, but it still pays to be vigilant at all times. Victims of any crime should report to the nearest police station immediately where the officers will take the appropriate action according to the particular details of the crime”, an official spokesman of Abu Dhabi Police told Gulf News yesterday.

He issued the statement when Gulf News brought the experience of an Indian office boy to his attention.

H. Mohammad, 42, (who did not want his full name to be published) told Gulf News on Thursday that a three-member gang who offered him a ride robbed him of Dh2,500 on Tuesday. He said he had borrowed the money from friends to send back home for an emergency.

Mohammad said he was on a regular job hunt as his indebted company had not paid him his salary for several months.

“It doesn’t rain but it pours,” he said.

He said he was waiting for a bus in Mussafah on Tuesday around 11am to go to Abu Dhabi city to remit the money and to search for a job.

The temperature was unbearable so he was relieved when a white Toyota car stopped and offered him a ride to Abu Dhabi. A fair-skinned Arab speaking man (not an Emirati) was driving the car and two other Arab speaking African nationals were in the rear seat. When the car reached a deserted area near Mussafah Corniche the driver said his Dh1,000 was missing and he asked everyone to show their wallets. The two African nationals immediately obeyed and then it was Mohammad’s turn.

Seeing his tears a Pakistani taxi driver stopped and gave him a free ride to Mussafah Police Station where he reported the matter. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

As Gulf News reported several times in the past, this is a very old modus operandi of conmen who offer free rides to passengers only to rob them of their money and valuables. Low-income workers who desperately want to save some money on transportation fall victim to such crimes.