Indian taxi driver threatened with knife by passengers in Oz

Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Jan 17 (PTI) In yet another incident targeting
Indians in Australia, a student-cum-cabbie was threatened with
knife by his two passengers, even as police insisted that
these cases were not racially-motivated.
The incident, the third against Indian cabbies in two
days, occurred Saturday when the driver, who is studying
business administration in the Victorian city of Ballart, was
called to Birdwood Avenue to pick up passengers, 'The Age'
reported Sunday.
It came shortly after another Indian taxi driver was
abused and punched by his four passengers, one of whom spat on
him, in Ballart, which is 110-kms west of here. It also
occurred just a day after a man was jailed for three months
for abusing and threatening to kill an Indian taxi driver.
In the latest case "there were only two male offenders,"
Detective Senior Constable Highthorn said. "And they also were
skylarking around in the taxi and they fled from the taxi
without paying. As they fled they produced a small knife."
The cabbie said he feared for his life but the attack
would not stop him from driving taxis.
Police believed the two incidents against drivers from
Ballart are linked. Though they did not identify the two
drivers.
Paul John Brogden, 48-year-old local man, was arrested,
jailed for three months and fined 1500 Australian dollars by a
judge on Thursday, hours after he pleaded guilty of holding
out a threat to kill 24-year-old Indian taxi-driver Satheesh
Thatipamula. (More) PTI