Dakar: Mbaye Sarr faces 15 years for moto-taxi robberies

Mbaye Sarr, known as ‘Mbaye Boundaw’, is appearing before the criminal chamber for his alleged involvement in a series of violent nighttime robberies targeting moto-taxi drivers in the Dakar suburbs. The prosecutor is seeking a 15-year prison sentence for charges including criminal conspiracy and robbery with violence and weapons.

The crimes, which date back to 2022, involved a consistent modus operandi. Perpetrators would pose as customers, solicit rides, and lure drivers to isolated locations late at night. Once in a secluded area, accomplices would intercept the driver.

In one documented case, a driver named K. Diop was lured to Thiaroye after receiving a late-night call. During the trip, a female passenger disembarked, and the driver was then ordered to stop near another individual. The driver was subsequently threatened with a machete held to his collarbone and robbed of his motorcycle, mobile phone, and 161,000 FCFA. Prosecutors believe this method was used against several other drivers, including A. Fall, S. Sow, and A. Gaye.