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A video has surfaced showing a taxi driver in Bali holding tourists against their will and using a weapon to demand additional payment, causing a stir.
The video, which is three minutes in length, captures a visitor to the Indonesian island begging the driver to exit the vehicle and requesting to communicate with law enforcement.
One of the women respectfully requests the man to allow them to leave and reminds him that it is necessary for him to do so. However, he continuously responds with a refusal. They allege that he did not take them to their desired destination.
According to Yahoo News, the duo were American sightseers passing through Kuta, a well-known seaside destination in the southern part of the island. They proposed to pay the driver 50,000 Indonesian Rupiah, equivalent to about £2.50, for the ride, but he demanded $50 (£39.29) instead.
A tourist threatens to contact the authorities and forcefully hits the car window, causing the driver to potentially assault the women multiple times. The driver then reaches for an object, believed to be a knife by the women, and makes threatening gestures towards their throats.
At this juncture, one of the passengers insists that the other person “simply give him whatever you have” – despite him continuing to demand more.
Once they unlocked the car doors, the two quickly exited the vehicle, shouting and calling for help from a passerby as they continued to record. They can be heard telling someone on the sidewalk that the cab driver had just threatened them with a knife.
The Independent has reached out to the Indonesian National Police for additional details.
According to VnExpress, the taxi driver has been apprehended and is facing potential charges of “extortion and threat,” which could result in a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
According to the most recent data from the Bali Central Bureau of Statistics, over four million tourists traveled to Bali in 2023.
Source: independent.co.uk