Bank employee arrested for fraud

Home Erongo Bank employee arrested for fraud

SWAKOPMUND –  A Standard Bank employee at the Walvis Bay branch is expected to appear today in the Swakopmund magistrate’s court  following her arrest  yesterday for fraud.

The alleged swindle that saw a Standard Bank client lose at least N$100 000 was allegedly masterminded by the female bank employee currently in police custody.

The woman is linked  to a card-cloning  scam for which two  suspects were arrested on Sunday morning in Swakopmund by the Erongo Region police.

Her arrest followed after the  victim of the fraud allegedly complained to the police that he detected that a large sum of money was missing from his account.  

At this stage it is unclear how and when the money was transferred.

Acting police crime coordinator in the Erongo Region, Erastus Iikuyu, told New New the bank employee allegedly transferred  the money to an account of one of her partners in crime so that they could withdraw the money at an ATM.

The two suspects arrested in connection with allegations of card cloning were refused bail yesterday. They are a 23-year-old South African and a 26-year-old  Namibian.

The two were arrested on Sunday morning at  the Woermann Brock shopping centre in Vineta, Swakopmund, around 11h00 after their suspicious behaviour was noticed by a security guard who alerted the police and  the Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch. 

They  were arrested on the spot. According to Iikuyu the security guard noticed the two suspects were withdrawing large amounts of money from an ATM and he called the police.

Iikuyu yesterday said Nampol was still busy with further investigations.

By Eveline de Klerk