WATCH: "Company cars will be torched" threatens Inverness caller
Inverness police investigating "extortion" after Taxi firm phone threat.
Last updated 20th Dec 2017
A Highland capital company’s under pressure to cough up cash to a criminal, or face having its property “torched”.
Staff at Inverness Taxis are worried for their safety after a dispatcher took a call on Monday night during which a man with a Scottish accent told him: "If there's not some sort of money handed over to us, then your company cars will be getting torched."
LISTEN TO THE PHONE THREAT:
"We've had attacks in the past. They've been digital, virus attacks - extortion that way - but never phone calls extorting money from us that way" - GAVIN JOHNSON, INVERNESS TAXIS
Police Scotland's confirmed that it's now investigating the extortion attempt. A spokesperson said: "Enquiries are ongoing."
The owner of the local transport firm, Gavin Johnson (pictured above) told MFR News: "I was gobsmacked. I didn't know how to take it.
"Some of the staff were saying it's just somebody playing a prank, but I knew myself that it was a bit more serious than that.
"We've had attacks in the past. They've been digital, virus attacks - extortion that way - but never phone calls extorting money from us that way.
"Any threat like that you have to take seriously when someone is threatening to torch your property.
"It's not the sort of thing you take lightly. I got the police round and there's an investigation already.
"They've put all of my properties which I'm connected to on alert, so we've got extra patrols."