Robbers still not traced

Press, 28 August 1979, Page 25

Robbers still not traced

The police have found no trace of two men and their female “decoy” who robbed a young taxi-driver of $250 at knifepoint in Christchurch early yesterday. The Blue Star driver was waved down by the woman in Elgin Street, Sydenham, soon after 1 a.m.

He stopped, got out of the taxi, and was confronted by two men who had been hiding when the woman hailed the taxi, according to the police. One of the robbers pointed a knife at the driver’s throat and demanded money. The man, who had been driving taxis for only a few months, handed over his wallet, and the trio ran off.

A radio call from the taxidriver quickly brought the police to the scene, but a search of the area by policemen using tracker dogs found no trace of the three people. One of the men was described as a Maori, about 175 cm (sft Bin) tall, of medium build, with a short “afro” hairstyle. He was wearing a dark-coloured duffel coat, and gloves. The woman was described as a European, with dark, curly, shoulder-length hair. She was wearing an offwhite vee-neck jersey and jeans. No arrest had been made by last evening.