Taxi Driver Held Over Suspected R@pe Attempt

Taxi driver held over suspected r@pe attempt

BANGKOK: -- Police have arrested a taxi driver suspected of attempting to lure a woman into a lane with the intention of assaulting her. However, a witness rescued the office worker and the driver has denied the charges, claiming he was only trying to find a shortcut.

The woman, identified only as Umaporn, told police from Wang Thong Lang station that she was taken to a deserted lane by a taxi driver and believed the man's intention was to rob or rape her.

Umaporn said she hired the driver around 8.30pm to take her from her office in RCA Rama IX Road to Lat Phrao, but the man instead took her to a deserted lane while driving with loud music.

She said another car drove into the lane and parked near the taxi in the warehouse complex of Index Living Mall company.

Umaporn said she felt the two drivers knew each other and feared something was about to happen, so she escaped and reported the incident to police.

When police arrived at the complex in Pradit Manutham Road in Lat Phrao, they discovered the taxi driver had been apprehended by Yanyong Khaniyom, who said he was a manager at Index Living Mall.

Yanyong said he had followed the taxi because he suspected the driver might be attempting to commit a crime.

The taxi driver said he did not mean any harm to the woman but was looking for a shortcut to avoid the traffic.

Police searched the taxi, a Toyota Corona with blue and red stripes, and found a knife and a torch. The suspect said he carried both in case the car broke down. The driver was also not wearing a uniform and did not have a licence.

Police said the circumstances were suspicious as the alley is a dead-end and the suspect had a knife in his pocket. Police have charged the man with carrying weapons without permission and driving without a licence and are now checking to see if he has a criminal record.

--The Nation 2005-11-06