Polokwane police cornered and arrested a Nigerian Bolt driver on Wednesday.morning, before he could make off with a young girl.
Nigerian Bolt driver charged with attempted kidnapping
As reported by Arrive Alive, alert passers-by reacted quickly when they heard distress calls coming from a Bolt vehicle driven by the unidentified Nigerian national.
A young woman, whose identity is unknown at this stage, screamed from the top of her lungs for help after she was allegedly forced into the vehicle, and thankfully, a gentleman was brave enough to block off the Bolt driver before he could skid away.
The foreign national was cuffed and sent to a nearby Polokwane police station where it’s expected he will booked for attempted kidnapping.
“Let us all be careful as and when we request for a ride, make sure that the number plate is verified and notify someone as soon as you suspect foul play,” Arrive Alive noted in a statement.
A Nigerian International almost kidnapped a young girl posing as a bolt driver in Polokwane https://t.co/JZ2CuCXvaB #ArriveAlive #AttemptedKidnapping @TransportLimCom pic.twitter.com/Byb6l88KuN
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) December 15, 2021
This is a developing story.
Is Bolt a safe e-hailing service in South Africa?
The e-hailing service has been linked to a number of similar incidents in the past. In response to the increase in crimes perpetrated by drivers, Bolt launched its Safety Kit as a means of providing passengers with tools to enjoy a safe ride.
Some of the resources at riders’ disposal include:
- Share ride: Passengers can send their ride’s make, model, registration number and live location via a shareable link
- Help button: Passengers can quickly and discreetly alert the emergency services by tapping on a special SOS button inside the app
- The Women-only ride-type: A special ride-type that allows women to request rides only from women drivers