Advertisement

Rip-off Rome taxi driver robs tourists' luggage

Author thumbnail
Rip-off Rome taxi driver robs tourists' luggage
The German woman and her daughter took a taxi to Rome's Via Veneto. Taxi photo: Shutterstock

A Rome taxi driver charged a German woman and her daughter €100 for a ride from the airport and then sped off with one of their bags, containing possessions worth €10,000, Italian media reported on Thursday.

Advertisement

The tourist and her 20-year-old daughter were robbed after taking a taxi from Fiumicino airport on Saturday night, Roma Today reported.

The family agreed to pay €60 for the ride to Rome’s Via Veneto, despite the set tariff being €48. On arrival the driver said there was an extra fee for their two bags and refused to give change from a €100 note.

The scene unfolded on the road outside the hotel, as the taxi driver chose not to pull up to the hotel doors.

He unloaded one of the bags before suddenly getting back into the car and speeding off, running a red light at the same time.

The stolen bag contained clothes worth around €5,000, plus a watch of equal value, Roma Today said.

While the hotel cameras did not capture the theft, CCTV footage showed the moment the two tourists stepped into the taxi at Fiumicino airport.

As a result investigators were able to trace the driver, a 44-year-old man from nearby Ostia.

When called in by police, the driver confessed to the crime and the bag was returned to the Germans. The driver is now facing charges of theft and for scamming the tourists out of €100 for the journey, Roma Today said. 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also