Cabbie found slain, robbed near QCPD station

A taxi driver was stabbed dead in an apparent robbery holdup early on Saturday in Quezon City.

The victim, identified through his company ID as Romeo Cruz, was found bloodied in the backseat of his taxi (UVM 192) by a traffic marshal at 6:30 a.m., police said.

Omar Orellosa of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority was manning his post when he noticed the taxi parked on Edsa’s northbound lane near the corner of Mapagmahal Street, just a few meters from the Quezon City Police District’s (QCPD) Kamuning Station.

Orellosa brought the victim to the nearby East Avenue Medical Center, where the latter was declared dead on arrival.

The victim was found to have sustained multiple stab wounds. There were also cuts in the arms which could be a sign that he tried to fight back, according to Chief Insp. Rodelio Marcelo of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit.

Robbery was the suspected motive as the victim’s personal belongings, such as his wallet, cell phone and cash, were missing, Marcelo said.

The police official also raised the possibility that the crime was committed elsewhere and that the assailants just abandoned the taxi at the site.

Investigators suspected that the taxi was last flagged down in Cubao as the meter indicated that it had run for about two kilometers.

Marcelo said there had been conflicting statements from the vendors in the area as to the number of men seen coming out of the taxi, and at what time, before the crime was discovered.

With no security cameras nearby, police would be looking for other cameras that may have recorded the taxi’s movement or its passengers. They were also coordinating with the victim’s family for further leads.