Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A young man who killed a taxi driver was sentenced in Tashkent, the press service of the Supreme Court said in a statement.

The incident happened in the Mirzo-Ulugbek district of Tashkent. According to updated information, the 23-year-old defendant called a taxi through a mobile application.

The taxi driver took the passenger to a secluded area, where the accused sat in the back seat and stabbed the driver ten times.

As a result of his injuries, the driver died in hospital.

At the court hearing, the accused stated that he did not know the driver. He committed murder due to financial difficulties. He had a debt of 16 million soums.

The Yakkasaray District Criminal Court found the young man guilty under Articles 97 (premeditated murder) and 164 (robbery) of the Criminal Code, sentencing him to 18 years in prison.