Ongwediva
A taxi driver from Oshikango in Ohangwena Region was arrested after he killed and robbed his friend, who had initially robbed a Chinese businessman of an unspecified but large sum of money.
The taxi driver shot and killed his friend on Sunday afternoon between 14h00 and 16h00 after the victim had called him to help him get away from the scene of the crime. The robber, Michel Kalomo, told his friend that he had robbed a Chinese businessman of a large amount of money.
According to police sources the now deceased Kalomo called his friend who drives a taxi to help him get away from Oshikango. He wanted to be driven to Ondjondjo near Engela, but on the way the taxi driver saw the stacks of money and shot and killed his friend to claim the loot for himself.
Police Regional Commander of Ohangwena, Commissioner Tylves Kampolo confirmed the incident. He could not divulge much details on the recovered money because police investigations were at a sensitive stage.
But Kampolo said N$6 000 was discovered at the spot where the murdered suspect’s corpse was dumped.
It is alleged the taxi driver shot Kalomo in the head and shoulder with a shotgun and dumped his body at a nearby dry water point.
Sources told New Era the taxi driver whose name could not be revealed before he appears in court today had wanted to dump the body of his friend in a nearby pond but his car got stuck and dumped it at the nearest dry water point instead.
He then called people from the nearest shebeen to help push his car out of the sand and he drove straight home.
“When he went home he apparently took a shower, dressed properly and told the wife he was going to Windhoek,” narrated a police source.
The source further said the suspect later hired another taxi driver to take him to Windhoek and he offered to pay the driver a hefty N$10 000.
“On his way to Windhoek he called the wife to tell her she must clean the car because it had some bloodstains and that he had killed a person and he was off to Windhoek,” a police source revealed.
The source further said that the wife alerted the police and the suspect was arrested at a roadblock in Otjiwarongo.
The driver of the taxi in which the suspect had sought a lift is also in police custody.
The two are expected to appear in the Oshakati Magistrate’s Court today.