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Police urge patrons to use caution after second 'taxi cab' sex assault

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com/AP) – Two recent incidents in which women said they were sexually assaulted after getting into vehicles that they thought were taxis do not appear to be related, a Boston police official said Monday.

The most recent incident happened early Sunday morning around 2 a.m. in Brighton. Investigators said the woman was trying to get a ride in the area of Linden and Pratt streets over to Cambridge when a man in a dark, four-door sedan offered to take her there. Instead, police said he drove her to an area near Harvard Stadium and attacked her.

Police said the car was not licensed in the City of Boston.

The suspect in this incident is described as an Indian man in his mid-30s with short dark hair and crooked teeth.

On Sunday, state police released a sketch of a man accused of raping of a 21-year-old woman two weeks ago in a similar attack. The victim told police she was picked up by a man in a black sedan in Boston's Seaport District. But instead of taking her home, she said the driver took her to a secluded area near Daly Rink in Newton and raped her.

Investigators said the suspect in this case was a Hispanic, Indian, or Middle Eastern man in his late 20s or early 30s.

Even though this first attack happened on August 6, state police just went public with the incident a few days ago and the assaults have many women in Boston on alert.

A Boston police official says investigators do not believe there is a connection between the two recent incidents.

No arrests had been made in either case.

Police on Monday posted tips on its web site, http://www.bpdnews.com, for identifying properly licensed taxis and clearly identified livery service vehicles in the city.

Licensed cabs have the words Boston Lic. Taxi on the rear fender, and all must display their Boston police medallion numbers along with other identification stickers.