The family of a badly-beaten Bahraini taxi driver have spoken about the trauma he suffered at the hands of a gang of African expatriates who violently robbed him.
Police are investigating the assault in A’ali and studying CCTV footage in a bid to identify and arrest the four men involved in the cowardly attack.
Habib Mahdi Hassan Taher, 69, is recovering at home after being punched in the face and pummelled on the chest by the villains on Sunday who snatched his wallet containing BD325, bank cards, driving licence and other identification documents.
Brutal
“They were brutal. My father is still in shock and traumatised by his ordeal. He hasn’t stopped crying,” said his concerned son, Adel Habib. “We have seen CCTV footage of the four men getting into my father’s pickup at Gudaibiya at 12.50am and they agreed on the price of the fare.
“They said they wanted to get down near A’ali mosque but when they arrived at the destination they asked to go further into the village before instructing my father to pull over in an alleyway.
“As soon as the car came to a halt, the passenger sitting directly behind the driver’s seat grabbed his face and neck. My father started choking and the man in the front seat held his hands. Another started searching his pockets and then they started thumping him on his chest.
“After picking up my father’s wallet, the person who was holding his hands punched him in his face and then all of them fled.”
The stunned driver managed to find his mobile phone and, in a distraught state, called his son for help.
The family from Salhiya filed a police complaint at Khamis Police Station on the same day of the incident.
Mr Mahdi, 30, said he was hopeful the police would be able to trace the culprits with the help of the CCTV footage and other evidence.
“There was BD325, bank credit cards and licences in the wallet – but beyond the money, it is about the attack – my father is not a young man and anything could have happened to him.
“Bahrain is known as a safe place and such incidents should not happen – we are confident the police will find those responsible.”
Concerns have been raised on social media recently about similar incidents and this latest one comes within days of police arresting a group of African men begging by a roadside, as seen in a video circulating online. A case has been referred by Southern Police to the Public Prosecution after the men were charged with ‘violating residency rules.’ The video, which was shot from inside a car, showed at least five men, all dressed in the same uniform-like T-shirts, complaining about non-payment and a lack of food.
There have also been claims of another Bahraini being taken to an abandoned car and allegedly beaten up, reports of unsavoury people sleeping on the roadside, while another mentioned groups of men wandering around late at night in remote villages.
The GDN has learnt that independent churches in Bahrain have witnessed an increase in African expatriates asking for help. According to reliable sources, a large number of both men and women have sought assistance in Segaiya, for example.
“It appears that they have unwittingly paid money to conmen for jobs in Bahrain that didn’t exist. Some have even arrived believing they owned a company in Bahrain with the money they had invested,” the source said.
“Now they have no jobs, no idea who their sponsors are, and are basically, desperate and homeless. Not all of them are bad. It appears a few have started engaging in illegal and criminal activities and they are harming the reputation of the entire community, which is unfortunate.”
The GDN reported last month that police had arrested 54 foreign nationals for violating residency conditions – the individuals were described by the authorities as having ‘various African nationalities’.
raji@gdnmedia.bh
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