WINDHOEK – Suicides dominated the crime statistics of the past week with at least six incidents reported countrywide.
In the latest incident a 17-year-old girl hanged herself with an electric cord at her parent’s home at Carolina Court Flats in Dorado Park Extension 1 yesterday morning at around 11h00. The parents made the gruesome discovery after returning from a church service.
The late Melrine Martin, who in life was the daughter of retired Prisons Deputy Commissioner Martin completed her Grade 12 examination last year at Jan Möhr High School and was apparently going to start a course this year at Unam. She did not leave behind a suicide note and police are investigating.
The Namibian Police are also investigating the suicide of a 24-year-old woman who hanged herself with a cloth in the shower of the backroom of her parent’s home in Johnson Street in Windhoek North. Bianca Carina Nashikaku left behind a suicide note and police suspect foul play.
Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi did however not divulge the contents of the suicide note as investigations are at a sensitive stage. The deceased was found by her mother at about 14h15 on Friday.
A male security guard believed to aged between 24 and 26 allegedly shot himself with a shotgun last week Wednesday between 20h00 and 21h00 and died on the spot.
The incident is said to have happened at Uukwamatsi Depot at Erf 2330/10 at Ongava Street in Okuryangava.
He was not identified and no suicide note was left behind. Police are investigating. In another hanging suicide, 31-year-old Elia Kadombo, a Namibian male hanged himself with an electric cord tied to a roof beam in the toilet.
No suicide note was left behind and his next of kin were informed. The deceased was found at around 07h00 last week Thursday. The police are are investigating. On January 14 at around 21h30 an alleged quarrel with his girlfriend caused 40-year-old Frans Gariseb to hang himself inside his room at Herero Block Squatters Camp in Gobabis. His next of kin have been informed and police are investigating. In another shooting incident a man allegedly shot himself with a shotgun in the chest and died on the spot.
The shotgun was found next to the deceased with one empty cartridge and six live bullets. The deceased was not identified and police are investigating. Two security guards were gun pointed and tied up at the Hakahana Clinic in Katutura by six unknown suspects of whom four were armed with pistols. The suspects broke into the clinic and cut open the safe with a cutting torch before leaving the scene with an unspecified amount of cash and three cellphones.
The incident happened at around 01h00 last week Tuesday.
A taxi driver was also robbed of his belongings after he took robbers to Florence Nightingale Street in Khomasdal by two suspects one of whom pointed a pistol at his head and robbed him of an unspecified amount of cash and other belongings.
A 23 year old Namibian male was stabbed to death by an 18-year-old suspect at around 15h15 at the corner of Silo and Isak Kazongari Street in Katutura. The suspect was arrested.
The deceased was identified as Jacques Eliasius Geingob. Another taxi driver was robbed of his taxi at the Otjomuise Pub bus stop by four suspects armed with pistols and a knife.
The incident happened at around 21h00 last week Wednesday and the Toyota Corolla taxi was later recovered, but not the 23-year-old taxi driver’s Green Cross sandals.
No arrests have been made and police are investigating.
By Roland Routh