a CABBIE has been left traumatised after he was beaten by four drunken louts and left lying injured by the side of the road.
Syed Gilani has spoken out about the unprovoked robbery which has left him scared to work and forced him to move out of his home in Doncaster town centre.
Fellow workers at Alpha Mini Cabs in Princes Street have also said that they are regularly exposed to threatening behaviour as well as customers who run off without paying.
Four men set upon the 28-year-old, when he stopped his taxi because four passengers he picked up from outside Doncaster College refused to stop shouting, swearing and drinking.
When asked to get out, the men kicked and punched Mr Gilani and then made off with his sat-nav as well as his cab and house keys. He was left to call the police and paramedics as he lay on the ground.
He said: “It was really very scary. I didn’t really know what was going to happen. This is the first time anything this bad has happened. I was taken to hospital and they couldn’t find any fractures but I have really bad pain in my chest and have had trouble breathing since.”
Mr Gilani spent 24 hours in Doncaster Royal Infirmary after the attack at about 6pm on Thursday in Doncaster Road, Kirk Sandall.
He added: “I’m too scared to go out on my own. I had to leave my flat and move back in with my parents as they’ve taken my keys and I was worried they might find me.”
Fellow taxi driver Yashar Nikmani, 33, of Woodfield Road, Balby, was also attacked on the same day. He had a minor collision with another car in Doncaster town centre at about 3pm and a man hit him in the face and broke his glasses.
He said: “I don’t work the night shift anymore. We have to ask customers for money upfront to make sure they don’t just run off without paying. People think it’s OK to continue their night out in the car. They drink and get abusive. We could do with more protection.”
A police spokesman said: “A taxi driver is believed to have been assaulted by four men who were passengers in his taxi. The men are all believed to be in their 20s. No arrests have been made and police are continuing with inquiries.”
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the attack can contact police on 101.
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