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Cabbie attacked in taxi carjacking
A NEWPORT taxi driver was left shaken after he was the victim of a car jacking in the early hours of Christmas Day. Irfan Latif, 38, was dragged from the drivers’ seat of the Skoda Octavia he drives for Globe Taxis and punched in the chest by a male passenger after he asked him to stop smoking. The man then drove off with two women and another man who were in the car.
Mr Latif had picked the group up at The Picton Arms pub in Pill, at around 1.45am, when the two men started smoking in the car. Mr Latif asked them to stop, telling them it was against the law and he could be fined but they refused. The father-of two pulled over on Cardiff Road, near the Royal Gwent Hospital and asked them again, causing the man sat behind him to stub out his cigarette on the seat, making a hole in the fabric.
Mr Latif asked him who was going to pay for the damage, before the man got out of the car and dragged him onto the floor from his seat before punching him in the chest and driving off. Mr Latif sought help from a woman walking her dog who gave him her mobile phone to dial 999.
He said: “I was very scared. It was completely unprovoked I only said to them to stop smoking. I did not say say any harsh words or any abuse. I was shook up and terrified.”
Police arrived and contacted Globe Taxis who were able to locate the car in St Brides Crescent, Maesglas, through the car’s GPS tracker system, where it was found with a damaged right wing and light, a broken key and the satellite navigation system missing.
Officers tried to track the four people with police dogs and two people were arrested later the same day. Police were unable to say if they were still in custody or had been bailed.
As well as being left shaken, Mr Latif was unable to work yesterday (SUN) and Christmas Day as he had planned as police are still doing tests on the car. He said: “I did not work, I missed everything because was too worried, I am very scared.”
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