IPNews-Monrovia, Liberia-26 June 2018: Monday afternoon was a showdown when men believed to be members of a gang commonly known as ‘passenger 57’, tried to rob a woman yards away from the offices of the Independent Probe Newspaper around the Ministry of Education on 3rd Street in Sinkor.
The robbers- “Passengers 57,” fell into the web of passing by citizens when they attempted robbing a lady, who had just come from one of the local banks in Monrovia.
According to eyewitnesses, the robbers followed the lady, whose name is being withheld, when she was leaving the bank after her banking transactions.
The robbers, who usually use a vehicle to commit their illegal act, posted as a transport vehicle and waited for the lady to leave the bank.
In search of a vehicle to return to her destination, she entered the vehicle, which already had four passengers on board, including the driver and a young lady.
Eyewitnesses told this paper that midway in their movement, the robbers attempted throwing the lady out of the moving vehicle after they had been successful in taking away her bag containing a wallet of valuables (money) and her passport.
“We saw the lady fighting them; we saw the car moving with its doors open so we got concerned and decided to follow because these things have been happening,” one of the eyewitnesses said.
“When they noticed we were following them, they took the route leading to the avenue, but we still followed them and on 16th Street they dropped off one of the robbers, who had the stolen items. But we followed the vehicle and forced them to come back on the main Tubman Boulevard. There others got interested and trying to escape, the driver ramped into the back of a moving Nissan 4 Runner Toyota SUV which led us to over powered them.” An eyewitness explained.
It is said usually all of those already on board are all part of the criminal ring that robs the unsuspecting passenger of his/her valuables and pulls the person out of the moving car after they are successful.
Police officers on the accident scene refused to speak on the matter but sources tell the Independent Probe that the occupants of the “passenger 57” vehicle got injured as a result of the accident, and they were taken to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, along with lady whom they had attempted robing for urgent medical attention.
