Another Hold-up/kidnap MO

[Hayward]

Heads up lang mga fellow tsikoteers! Here's another story relayed by a friend's acquaintance. It may happen to anybody. Ingat lang tayo. Read on:

My family and I wish to share what happened to my sister last Sunday, May 14, at around 9pm. Please take this seriously.

My sister asked to be dropped off at The Podium so that she could take a cab, believing it was safer and quicker to catch a cab there than at Robinson's Galleria, where there was a long line for the taxi, since it's a high-end place. She allowed several groups to get the cabs ahead of her. After she was left alone on the sidewalk of The Podium, she hailed a cab passing by.

Upon getting in, the cab driver told her to sit in the middle of the back seat because the wheels of the car were supposedly weak and wouldn't be able to support the one-sided weight. Being tired, my sister did not think this as unusual and did as the driver said. Also, this cab did not have markings inside, as normal taxis would.

A block away from The Podium, the cab driver stopped, unlocked the doors, and two men instantly got in the cab on both sides. One of the men immediately punched her, intending to knock her out. Fortunately, she didn't black out.

The men took her cash (more than P15,000), cellular phones, new pair of shoes. These men did not leave it at that. They made it a point to search all of her belongings, even opening her sanitary pads, in case there were stuff hidden there. They repeatedly hit her, with intentions of knocking her out.

One of the men saw her ATMs and wanted to cruise around the city to withdraw all her cash. The other one in the back seat was probably feeling a bit guilty and told the other that what they had was enough.

As I said, fortunately, she didn't black out. We believe it was also fortunate she had cash at that time. The original plan, as my sister heard it, was that they will take her to some far off place, Bulacan or Batangas, to use her as they will. If she did not have that big amount at hand, they probably would have done her in. They've been driving around for probably about an hour towards the intended destination.

Since she did not black-out, the men decided to leave her stranded in EDSA, gave her P100, and threw her other things on the road. We're really grateful she got home safe that night.

Through this experience, we wish to impart several points of advice:

1 -- It's safer to just be patient and wait at the cue line of a popular mall than a class A mall. These men assume that you have a lot of money when they see you by high-end places such as The Podium, Shangri-La, etc.

2 -- Choose your taxis well. Especially late at night, it is better to hail one of the well-known cabs such as MGE, R&E, Xavierville, Avis, or call their operator so that one could pick you up. At least these are honest drivers.

3 -- If you really have to take a cab, wait with a friend who has a car. Ask your friend to jot down the plate and name of the cab you flagged down. Then text him/her that you got home safe.

4 -- If it's late at night and friends or family offer to give you a ride, DO NOT DECLINE. These people simply care about your well-being. They want to make sure you get home safe.

We hope this will help everyone be cautious in going home at night.

Please forward to everyone, especially to those who frequently takes taxis to go around.

Jamielynn Anne F. Cruz
UP-PGH Class 2010

[claRkEnt]

So sorry to hear that! Well, the positive side is that only material things were taken from her and di sya ginawan ng anything else (pero grabe din, babae, sinusuntok???) tsk tsk tsk

[theveed]

Bait ah, nagiwan pa ng P100 hehe

[BoEinG_747]

tsk tsk tsk ..ang lupet non nanuntok pa ng babae

ma bad karma sana ang mga iyan

[team_PONGLAI_11]

nanununtok ng babae bakla yun

[bender]

Most people at the Podium have their own cars parked so there is indeed less people who would need a taxi. However, what happened to the victim could have happened anywhere and at anytime. If the victims don't report such crimes to the proper authorities, the criminals would strike again.

[Chip]

buti at di natuloy yung plano na dalhin sya kung saan saan.. pero kumulo pa rin dugo ko nong nabasa kong sinuntok sya.. tapang nila a....

[vhenok]

Good thing, solve na sila sa money....anyways, madali naman kitain yun in due time but the pain and the trauma it brought, am sure still on recovery pa din yung girl. It could have been more than that, but then there's still a lot of reason to be thankful for.

Yep, just follow those advises.....

INGAT NA LANG PO MGA FELLOW TSIKOTEERS!

[Walter]

Try to take stories like these with a grain of salt. There are a lot of these "horror" stories being posted.

[XTO]

mga salbahe, walang kalaban-laban na babae, susuntukin pa. OT here in e. rod. q.c. my female officemate kinaladkad naman ng 2 motorcycle bag snatchers few days ago, though we caught those bastards the sad thing is after thorough x-rays my officemate needs to undergo operation because of dislocated elbow and bruises.

[skyglider]

mga ogag yun ah... ang babae minamahal hindi ginugulpi.

sana nakuha nya yung pangalan nung taxi at plate # para maipa-blotter...

[Galactus]

Try to take stories like these with a grain of salt. There are a lot of these "horror" stories being posted.

Yup, I agree. Sa public forums (and forwarded email messages!), its hard to discern nowadays fact from fiction. Especially, if no names are being mentioned, usually "friend ng relative ko" or "friend ng friend ko" or some other trivial connection by consanguinity or affinity.

Nonetheless, it does pay to be cautious

[ts1n1ta]

sakay lang dapat sa taxis na registered...like avis..r&E...

and always text the plate number of the taxi to a friend or family pag sakay pa lang.

[Cooldude]

Ingat lang palagi

[Bry]

Aren't all taxis registered?

[Hayward]

Yup, I agree. Sa public forums (and forwarded email messages!), its hard to discern nowadays fact from fiction. Especially, if no names are being mentioned, usually "friend ng relative ko" or "friend ng friend ko" or some other trivial connection by consanguinity or affinity.

Nonetheless, it does pay to be cautious

*Galactus & Walter: mga bro if you look at the bottom of the my post, you can see the name of the person who wrote it.
Now as to the veracity of the report, I am just wondering why one would take it with a "grain of salt" when the intention here is just to inform & warn the tsikot community something bad as this. I just hope it doen not happen to any of the " "friend ng relative ko" or "friend ng friend ko" or some other trivial connection by consanguinity or affinity" mentioned.

[miLes]

nothing will be lost kung safe ka naman eh true or not yung kwento, basta be wary of your surrounding when riding PUVs

[skyglider]

Aren't all taxis registered?

maraming taxi na colorum... mahirap daw kasi makakuha ng franchise saka mahal...

[wakin]

ingat lang tayo lagi peeps.

[mhelskie]

pahirap ng pahirap ang buhay, parami ng parami ang panganib...ingat lagi mga peeps, and always pray