WINDHOEK – A Chinese businessman at Okongo in the Ohangwena Region was robbed of close to N$50 000 in broad daylight by three armed suspects last week.
It is alleged Chen Guansie well-known as ‘Michael’ and who owns a big shopping complex at Okongo heard strange movements at around 9h30 at the back of his rented flats. Upon inspection, he found one of the flat doors open and when he went inside to inspect since the tenants were at work, three armed men held him at gunpoint and demanded money. The suspects allegedly forced him to his own flat and tied his arms behind his back and started searching the flat where they found cash exceeding N$49 000. They also stole an unspecified amount of Chinese Yuan, Hong Kong bank notes, as well as some US dollars. Sergeant Abner Kaume Iitumba at the Eenhana regional headquarters of Nampol yesterday confirmed the daytime armed robbery. “After they took his money, they proceeded to break into another flat which belongs to an FNB manager at Okongo who was at work at the time. They took her laptop and fled the scene. Fortunately, the Chinese man had a cellphone in his pocket which they did not see and he notified the police. When the police arrived, the suspects were gone, but we managed to follow them and arrested two in the bush the same day. The third one was apprehended the next day also in the bush,” Iitumba said.
According to Iitumba, the police managed to recover only N$23 398, while the rest of the cash and the laptop are still missing. The three suspects have since appeared in the Enhana Magistrate’s Court on Monday and were remanded in police custody after they were denied bail. They are David Iyambo (41) well-known as ‘Security’ in and around Oshikango, Joshua Joshua (40) who is well-known as ‘Kalumbu’ from Engela in the same region and Helvig Helao (21) from Ongwediva. The suspects are notorious criminals in the north and all three are repeat offenders.
By Albertina Nakale