WALVIS BAY – A Chinese construction company contracted to upgrade the Namibian Air Force base about 15 kilometres between Karibib and Omaruru lost N$ 375 000 during an armed robbery in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident was confirmed yesterday afternoon by the Crime Coordinator for Nampol in the Erongo Region, Detective Inspector Erastus Iikuyu.
According to Iikuyu about 10 armed men allegedly cut a fence of the building next to the base that is being used by the construction company as offices and accommodation. “It is believed that the suspects took N$375 000 in cash as well as four laptops and a watch,” Iikuyu said yesterday afternoon.
He told New Era that the employees of the construction company allegedly withdrew the money on Tuesday from one of the banks in the Erongo Region to pay their workers on Friday. “It appears that the armed robbers must have timed the employees when they went to withdraw the cash. We believe that it could be an inside job as well but do not want to speculate. We have already dispatched a team of investigators to Karibib to investigate the robbery. No one has yet been arrested but we are following all possible leads,” he said.
Meanwhile at a press briefing held yesterday in Walvis Bay, the police chief for the Erongo Region, Commissioner Festus //Hoebeb also raised concern over the increasing incidents of housebreaking and theft in the region.
//Hoebeb urged all residents and visitors to the coast to be extra vigilant especially during this time of the year as thieves are out looking for cash to spend over the festive seasonl.