Riders rob Uber driver, take vehicle

A 52-year-old Uber driver was robbed and the vehicle stolen by four passengers who also left him hogtied shortly after midnight on Thursday, the police said.

Jaime Mejia, a resident of Sampaloc, Manila, was driving a red 2014 Toyota Innova (ABD 7740) on Marcos Highway when he picked up three riders in front of Don Juana Village in Santolan, Pasig City, to take them to SM Masinag in Antipolo City.

Shortly after boarding the vehicle, two of the men, who took the back seat, grabbed the driver by the neck and held him at knifepoint, according to a report by Senior Supt. Orlando Yebra Jr., Pasig police chief.

One of the robbers ordered Mejia to transfer to the back seat as the other took the wheel. A fourth man later got into the Innova and sat in the front passenger seat.

In his statement to the police, Mejia said the robbers used a piece of wire to tie his hands behind his back, and his own jacket to bind his legs. They also covered his face with his own shirt.

The suspects released the victim and threw him into a ravine in Sitio Kay-Ibon in Barangay Cuyambay in Tanay, Rizal. Mejia managed to free his legs and sought help from barangay officials.