Hanoi taxi driver arrested for overcharging Singapore delegates
Posted: 08 November 2011 0644 hrs
HANOI: Police have arrested a taxi driver a week after he overcharged by 40 times two Singaporean delegates to the 80th Interpol General Assembly meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The driver works for the Phu Gia taxi company, but the police have not revealed his identity, reported TuoiTreNews. He was arrested on Saturday while hiding in the southern province of Dak Nong, over 1,000km from Hanoi.
Colonel Nguyen Duc Chung, deputy chief of Hanoi police confirmed the arrest on Monday.
The driver has been escorted to Hanoi for questioning. A lawyer told TuoiTreNews the driver could be charged with "cheating to appropriate private property".
According to TuoiTreNews, the victims are Mr Chen Ang Dani and Ms Than Sha Pen, who were forced to pay 6 million dong (S$600) for a ride of only 10km. The normal fare should have been only 150,000 dong.
The incident took place on Oct 28 when they took a taxi belonging to the Phu Gia Group, after having a meal at a popular eatery for foreigners.
The victims said that, following heated argument over prices, they negligently left behind an iPhone 4, which has been missing since.
Hanoi Transportation Association chairman Bui Danh Lien said a number of taxi operators have condemned the driver's act, which they say negatively affected Vietnam's national image, and demanded an inspection into the Phu Gia taxi company. - TODAY
