Taxi Driver Online

'Cab hijacked by court officials'

A CITY cabbie was left stranded at the roadside after partying court officials allegedly hijacked his taxi following a row with other revellers.

Driver Mokis Miah had tried to calm the two arguing parties down but was left watching in horror as one of his passengers jumped in to the front seat and drove off. The car was stopped after a pursuit along the M4.

Self-employed Mr Miah, from Roath, Cardiff, said the three court officials and a bailiff were arguing with people through the window of his cab after he picked them up from Flares nightclub in Cardiff just before 2am yesterday.

Father-of-three Mr Miah, 33, was driving them to the Travel Lodge Moto Hotel on junction 33 of the M4 when two cars boxed him in on Cowbridge Road East and forced him to stop.

He said: "About eight strangers got out of the cars and started to argue with my passengers so I opened the door and put a foot outside, asking them to calm down. They weren't threatening violence but one of my passengers got out, pulled me out on to the road and drove off in my vehicle. The two other cars just drove off."

The passengers in Mr Miah's cab then phoned police, saying they had driven off because they were frightened of being beaten up and asked officers to meet them, said a police spokesman. Mr Miah rang his brother Mottobir, 32, from Broadway, who phoned the police, picked him up in another cab and alerted other drivers to follow the vehicle.

Police finally stopped the car just outside Talbot Green.

Mr Miah's Riverside councillor Neil McEvoy is now asking new South Wales Police Chief Constable Barbara Wilding to mount a personal investigation. Coun McEvoy said: "I want the Chief Constable to check CCTV, identify the people in those mystery cars and, if appropriate, press charges."

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Christopher said three court officials and a bailiff from Swansea had been taken into custody after being arrested by uniformed officers.

They were taken to Fairwater Police Station in Cardiff where they were being interviewed today.

Detective Inspector Sue Hurley added: "They are being interviewed over the incident and one, who it is believed was over the drink drive limit, will be dealt with separately."

South Wales Police confirmed the four had been questioned about an allegation they took the cab without consent. They have been released on bail.

The courts in Swansea said they had not heard of the investigation.

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