After a high-speed chase through the busy streets of Woodstock, police arrested three men they suspect could be tied to a series of taxi-related robberies across the city.
The three suspects, aged 21 to 27, are accused of robbing a woman after she caught a taxi in Observatory, at 2pm on Saturday.
According to acting Woodstock police chief, Lieutenant Colonel Alroy van der Berg, the taxi driver and two men held the woman at gunpoint after she boarded the vehicle.
“She was forced to provide her PIN and the suspects withdrew money from her account before she was dropped off in Salt River,” he said.
The woman reported the incident to the police, and two Woodstock officers interviewed her at a Salt River garage.
“The traumatised victim accompanied the two police officers to drive in the area, and she spotted the taxi in question, which led to a car chase in the busy streets, ending with the apprehension and arrest of all three suspects in the Woodstock area,” said Lieutenant Colonel Van der Berg.
Woodstock police recovered 10 cellphones including the woman’s as well as her cash, though no firearm was found.
The taxi was impounded at the police’s Stikland yard.
The three men were charged with robbery and appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday August 25.
Lieutenant Colonel Van der Berg said police were investigating whether the three suspects could be linked to similar crimes across Cape Town. “This success is significant as around 40 robbery cases have been reported to Woodstock police involving taxis or taxi drivers in the past few years,” he said.
