Muscat: Two expatriates have been arrested and jailed for 10 years after they were arrested for robbing a taxi driver at knife point, Oman’s Public Prosecution has informed.

According to the report from authorities, the incident happened when the two accused hired the taxi at 5am from Muscat. “They asked this taxi driver not to hire anymore passengers and that they would pay for the cost of the entire transport,” the report said.

After travelling for a while, the two passengers asked the driver to stop the car at a service area as their friends were waiting for them.

“The first accused took out a knife and asked the driver to pull over his vehicle, while the second accused used electrical wire and strangled the driver with the electrical wire.”

“Then, the accused instructed the driver to hand over all cash, cell phones and bank cards. The victim gave them all of his belonging as he feared that he would get hurt.”

The two then “wired” the victim inside the taxi and fled the scene. According to the report, the two accused withdrew cash belonging to the driver from an ATM using the passcode he gave earlier. 

Meanwhile, a citizen who came that way rescued the victim and he immediately called police. “With the help of CCTV cameras from the bank ATM where the accused withdrew the cash, the ROP identified the accused and later arrested them at their residence in Muscat,” the report said.  The nationality of the two accused however is not yet revealed by the police. 

The court sentenced the accused to ten years in prison and ordered their deportation on completion of the sentence. 

“The sentence is a deterrent for anyone to think twice before committing any crime,”the statement concluded.