• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Authorities recovered a stolen taxi in Barangay Mandalagan, Bacolod City, early Wednesday morning, hours after the driver was reportedly lured away from his vehicle by a passenger under the guise of a delivery errand.
The victim, identified as 60-year-old ‘Romel,’ resident of Talisay City, reported the incident to Bacolod Police Station 2 following the theft of his 2022 Toyota Vios Taxi at 6th Lacson Street.
Reports said the incident occurred at around 8:30 p.m. on March 10, when an unidentified male passenger, who had been picked up at a hotel, requested to stop in front of a spa at 6th Street.
The passenger then requested the victim to deliver a laptop to someone inside the establishment.
Upon entering the premises, the driver was informed by staff that the recipient was not employed there.
When the victim returned outside, both the vehicle and his passenger were missing.
After a city-wide dragnet operation, the abandoned taxi was recovered at around 1:30 a.m. the following day, along Santa Catalina Street in Eroreco Subdivision, Barangay Mandalagan.
While the taxi has been recovered, the carnapper has not yet been apprehended.*
