LOCAL police are still trying to figure out the identity behind the man who allegedly robbed and stabbed a 52- year-old taxi driver in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City on Maundy Thursday, April 14, 2022.Investigators of the Mabolo Police Station in Cebu City admitted that they are still looking for leads as to who robbed and stabbed Edwin Sedoria Abastillas.Abastillas, a taxi driver working for Modern Trans Taxi and a resident of Barangay Linao-Lipata, Minglanilla town, southern Cebu, was driving his cab and was proceeding towards Veterans Drive in Nivel Hills in Lahug when his passenger suddenly declared a holdup upon arriving in the area.The suspect reportedly carried a knife at the time of the incident.Local police said Abastillas attempted to fight off the robber but he was stabbed several times instead.Abastillas reportedly sustained 12 knife wounds, including one on the back of his neck in which what remains of the knife was stuck there.The robber was also able to get Abastillas’ earnings worth P4,000 and his cellular phone.Abastillas was immediately brought by emergency responders to a nearby hospital. He is currently recuperating from his injuries.Senior Msgt. Enrique Manolong, who is currently handling the investigation, said they weren’t able to secure a footage of the suspect even though Abastillas’ dash cam was working.The suspect reportedly removed the SD card of the dash cam just after he committed the crime.But Manolong believes that the suspect might be a fellow taxi driver due to his familiarity with the cab’s inner workings.Manolong said they are currently exploring various leads, including coordinating with various gambling establishments to check if they have customers who match the suspect’s description.Manolong added they are also coordinating with the Cebu City Police Office’s Investigation Management Unit to help them in securing CCTV footage from establishments close to the crime scene.He also called upon those who were able to witness the incident to closely coordinate with their office.Abastillas is the second taxi driver to have been robbed and injured by robbers in a span of three days.On Tuesday, April 12, taxi driver Andres Alfanta was victimized by his own passengers while driving his cab from Cebu City to Barangay Pitalo in San Fernando.Aside from robbing him of his earnings, Alfanta also had his tongue slit by the robbers. (BBT / JKV)