Ongwediva
A bartender at Uupindi settlement in Oshakati was allegedly robbed at gunpoint of N$14 000, whereafter the suspects fled with the cash and a cellphone. The incident occurred at about 22h30 on Wednesday night.
Two of the suspects have been arrested, while another is still at large. Police in the Oshana Region also managed to recover about N$4000 of the stolen money and two Makrov pistols allegedly used in the robbery.
“Some of the money was recovered, because while they were being sought by the police the suspects started throwing away some of the money,” said Sergeant Frieda Shikole, the police public relations officer in Oshana.
According to Shikole, one of the arrested suspects is a regular at the Oshakati holding cells. She said three armed men went to the bar, assaulted the bartender and ordered her to hand them the money in the safe.
The frightened barlady then handed over the money and the suspects fled the scene with the cash and cellphone.
A well-placed source in the police told New Era the robbers were alerted to the cash kept in a safe at the bar by a security guard. The source confirmed, however, that the security guard who gave the tip-off was not on duty at the time of the reported armed robbery.
In addition, the source said both the security guard on duty and bartender were assaulted. “There were gunshots exchanged between the security guard and the armed robbers,” they said.
Two of the suspects were arrested at Eentokele informal settlement in Oshakati after the police were informed by concerned residents, who also assisted in the search for the suspects.