By: Dawda Baldeh
Babucarr Samateh, a resident of Bakau Newtown who does car rental business, told The Fatu Network that a Senegalese national named Muhammed Jah has absconded with his red RAV4 car with registration number KM 6014 D to Senegal.
The alleged incident is said to have occurred when the Senegalese national rented the car some months ago to go for ‘Magal Touba,’ an annual pilgrimage of the Senegalese Mourides.
“I rented my car to Muhammed Jah who came to my house with Pap Secka. I didn’t ask for documents as guarantee because I know Pap who happens to be my neighbor. We agreed that he will go with the car for two weeks and he (Muhammed Jah) paid the money,” Babucarr explained.
Babucarr’s hope of getting his car back began fading days after the agreed date elapsed with Muhammed cutting off communication with him.
“After the week elapsed, he [Muhammed] said he will spend another three days. Suddenly, he cut off communication between us. After two months, he called me and said he was sick.
He asked me to send him money so that he can buy fuel and a new battery for the car and that he would drive the car to Koalack where I would collect it,” he narrated.
However, Babucarr said after sending the money, Muhammed stopped communicating with him.
“I have reported the matter to Interpol in Banjul. They said they are investigating the matter but I haven’t heard from them. I will go to Senegal to report the matter if I don’t hear from Interpol in few days,” he said.
Babucarr expressed his dismay, saying that the trust he has in his neighbor was what led him to rent out the car on a casual agreement.
He said he does not know where Muhammed lives in Senegal, calling on security authorities and the public to help him get back his car.
