A Fil-American man who arrived in the country Sunday night to attend a relative’s wedding lost P.5 million worth of cash and valuables to a taxicab driver who robbed him then left him without a single centavo on New York Avenue in Cubao, Quezon City.
Nathan Santos Smith, 24, a law student at Harvard University, walked all the way to the Quezon City Police District Station 10 on Kamuning.
Smith, who is from Beverly Hills Drive in California, lost two cell phones worth $1,150; a laptop worth $2,000; $7,000; three pieces of luggage; his passport and credit cards, a Play Station Portable and other documents.
Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said he had to lend Smith, who was supposed to attend his relative’s wedding in Baguio City, money for his bus fare.
“He has no relative to go here (in Metro Manila), all are in Baguio City,” Mabanag told reporters in an interview.
The robbery happened at past 11 p.m. Sunday after Smith boarded the taxicab (TXE-427) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“He (Smith) said he tried to get a vehicle at the airport’s limousine service but found no one to assist him, that’s why he decided to hail that cab,” Mabanag said.
Smith, who is on his first visit in the Philippines, told the driver to bring him to the nearest terminal for provincial buses in Pasay City. However, the cabbie drove towards Cubao, calling and texting along the way.
Mabanag said Smith even asked what they were doing there, but the cabbie said he just had to pick up someone in the area for “emergency reasons.” This did not worry Smith, who asked the driver to bring him to the bus terminal after.
However, when they reached the area near Ali Mall, the cabbie’s cohort boarded the taxicab. Both suspects drew their handguns and robbed Smith.
According to Mabanag, they traced the taxicab to Mandaluyong City and his operatives are already trying to locate the driver and his cohort. – Reinir Padua