Fake Hitchhikers

Since hunters have learnt to shoot without missing, birds have learned to fly without perching or vice versa. Since birds have learnt to fly without perching, hunters have learned to shoot without missing. Thieves come up with new pranks everyday as old ones are discovered. The latest fruit of their fertile imagination is to pretend to be travelling, stop a vehicle and propose a high price but say they have some luggage in the quarter and when the driver goes to pick up the luggage, he is over powered and the vehicle seized from him or her.

This reporter was witness to a macabre scene which could have ended deadly had it not been for the timely intervention of a passer-by who spilled the beans. On Friday November 2, the reporter was driving to Yaounde when he was stopped by a young man around the ‘TEXACO Aeroport’ neighbourhood. He pretended to be a loader who was looking for a vehicle for a stranded Nigerian businessman who was traveling to Yaounde and that since the foreigner was not aware of the fare, he had asked him to pay FCFA 12000.

The only irk, he said was to collect some luggage from inside the quarter. While talking to the two crooks, a Good Samaritan passed from behind and indicated to the driver not to accept the offer, which he did despite the crooks proposing a higher fare of 20.000. After they left, the Good Samari...