Cabbie's wheels stolen by 'disabled' conman

BETH CATLEY - 06 March 2008

WRONG SORT OF WHEELS: Goodmayes Cars owner Imran Akhtar and driver Shazad Hussain
A MINICAB driver had his car stolen from under his nose by a shameless conman pretending to be disabled.


Shazad Hussain, of Longbridge Road, Ilford, had his livelihood stolen last week, after he picked up three men from Barley Lane, Goodmayes, at about 7.30pm.

Mr Hussain, 26, said: "It was another regular day. I went to pick up customers and they were standing outside the address. Usually I don't pick up youngsters if they look a bit suspicious, but one of the guys was in a wheelchair and I felt a bit bad for him."

When the men arrived at their destination in Stratford, they asked Mr Hussain to wait while one man went inside to get the fare.

Mr Hussain got out of the car to take the wheelchair out of the boot, whereupon the "disabled" passenger hopped into the driver's seat and raced off.

"I was stranded with a wheelchair in my hand," Mr Hussain said. "In this work, you expect a few hiccups, but you don't expect that. I called the police straight away and was told to go to the nearest police station."

But after waiting three hours to be seen at Ilford Police Station, Mr Hussain was told he would have to wait until someone contacted him to make a statement.

It took police two days to call him back.

Mr Hussain is not insured for theft, and has had to hire a car so he can continue working.

Goodmayes Cars director Imran Akhtar said crimes against minicab drivers were increasing.

He said: "We had an incident a couple of months ago, when a driver picked up six youths in a seven-seater. He demanded the money up-front, then took them to Wembley. One of the guys elbow-locked him while another emptied his pockets, took his mobile and everything, and ran away.

"There used to be the odd people running away from cab fares, but it's getting quite serious now."

An Ilford Police spokesman said the matter was being dealt with by Newham Police.

A spokesman for Newham Police said: "Numerous messages were left for the victim to contact us and he didn't contact us straight away. It's now being investigated."

A forensic examiner checked the wheelchair for evidence on Monday.

The car is a green Honda Civic, registration P179 BBV. Anyone who spots the vehicle, is urged to contact the police.