Luxury travel officials lost at how to prevent robberies

Officials of luxury travel companies are lost at how to prevent the influx of travellers being drugged and robbed of all their possessions.

In Doula’s most recent case this week an enormous crowd drew the attention of VIP staff who were gathered around a traveller lying unconscious on a bench. After searching his pockets they could not find any identification, money or a cell phone and it was finally decided to take him to the nearest health facility.

A VIP spokesperson said: "We do not know what to do to prevent these attacks in our luxury buses that seem to be the new target of the pickpockets.

“From the start of your journey we encourage our customers to accept nothing from strangers sitting next to them.”

According to one driver, not a week goes by without a traveller being caught in the nets of these thugs.

The victims, men and women, young and old, are thought to be chosen according to their clothing or luggage brand.

"We've had travellers who have lost large sums of money, laptops, IPads and other valuables. In general, the victim remembers simply sympathizing with someone who offered him fruit or biscuits or drink. Then nothing," says a VIP bus driver.

In another travel company, the latest victim is a lady from Europe. After eating drugged biscuits, her attacker took with him 5,000 euros and mobile phones. She has been staying in a hospital in Yaoundé and a complaint was filed to the police.

Abigail Emana, accustomed entrepreneur of VIP in Yaoundé, said: "Since recommendations to travellers departing on our buses is proving insufficient, it is time for travel companies to invest more for the safety of their customers.

“I think, for example, we should implement seat numbers on the tickets so we know exactly who is sitting next to whom. And why not have surveillance cameras?”

This phenomenon of daylight robbery appeared in Cameroon in the early 1990s, first in yellow taxis, which quickly spread to trains and buses and now VIP buses.