OMUTHIYA – Three men mysteriously broke out of the police holding cells at Omuthiya but one of the men was rearrested shortly after his escape.
Police identified the three men as Nadipite Gilbert Iimbili (23), Erikson William (21) and Erastus Haimbodi (33) who escaped from Omuthiya holding cells around 17h00 on Sunday.
Law enforcement officials were oblivious to the escape until other inmates alerted them. The door of their cell was allegedly ‘lifted’ and placed back after the escape.
Iimbili was recaptured at Okapuku village in the Omuthiya constituency where he was found in the veld among some bushes in an attempt to evade law enforcement agents.
Iimbili was first incarcerated for armed robbery and the unlawful possession of a firearm prior to his escape. His recent escape worsened his legal situation as he is now scheduled to appear in the Ondangwa Magistrates’ Court today for escaping from lawful custody.
William was arrested for housebreaking and theft, while Haimbodi is a multiple offender with a three-month jail sentence for illegally possessing a firearm, housebreaking and theft.
“Haimbodi is no stranger to the law, a well-known criminal also wanted in Ohangwena region for armed robbery. He has now added escaping from police custody to his rap sheet,” said Deputy Commissioner Peter William.
Fugitives Erikson William and Haimbodi are still at large, and police remained baffled as to how the convicts managed to fly the coop, and although they had several theories nothing was conclusive.
“They might have exploited a factory fault – we believe the door was somehow lifted or that they used some sort of tool,” said Deputy Commissioner Peter William.
Police will have to go about solving how the trio escaped without the aid of prisoners because inmates are allegedly uncooperative and bluntly refuse to divulge details regarding how their fellow inmates escape.
“Prisoners will not tell us what exactly happened, they simply refuse to talk. Even Iimbili is not willing to tell us anything regarding the escape or the whereabouts of the other two men,” the deputy commissioner said. He urged regional councillors, traditional authorities, the neighbourhood watch groups and members of the public to come forward with information to bring the fugitives to book.
He also urged the fugitives to turn themselves in at the nearest police station because “running from the law is not a solution”. “It is only a matter of time before we catch them, they cannot run forever or live looking over their shoulders,” he advised.
By John Travolter Matali