John Muyamba
Victoria Immanuel
A police officer was arrested on Tuesday for the alleged rape of a 22-year-old trial-awaiting female inmate detained at the Ncaute police station in the Kavango West region.
The police officer, who was on duty on the day of the alleged incident, reportedly forcefully had sexual intercourse with the victim in the holding cells on two separate occasions without her consent.
Chief Inspector Raimbert Muronga of the Kavango West police public relations directorate told New Era that the suspect, who cannot be named before appearing in court, is a 32-year-old Namibian male stationed at the Ncaute station.
In an unrelated matter and still in Kavango West, the police are investigating a 16-year-old learner for alleged forgery and uttering of a report card. The incident occurred at the Himarwa Ithete Senior Secondary School in the Mpungu constituency.
It is alleged that the learner forged her school report card of Grade 9 from Dr Romanus Kampungu Senior Secondary School in Rundu to promote herself. She managed to enrol at Himarwa Ithete in Grade 10 with the fake symbols.
“She will be arrested and charged once investigations have been completed,’’ Muronga stated.
In the Omusati region, 14 inmates have escaped from the Ruacana police station holding cells, Omusati police commander, Commissioner Ismael Basson has revealed.
They reportedly escaped on Monday between 15h00 and 20h00.
He said the suspects opened an unlocked burglar door that separated the cell area from a courtroom corridor.
They then broke down another door to enter the courtroom.
From there, they escaped through a window.
“All 14 individuals were known suspects,” Basson said.
The escapees face different criminal charges, ranging from murder, housebreaking with intent to steal, robbery, stock theft and rape.
The inmates are all men from Namibia and Angola.
“Nine of them are Angolans, and suspicions are that they are in the neighbouring country,” he added.
At the end of last year, 10 trial-awaiting inmates escaped from the Onandjaba police holding cells in the same region.
No arrests have been made so far, and the police have been on the ground searching for the escapees.
They escaped by cutting a hole in the roof of the facility’s dining hall.
In the Zambezi region, 13 inmates escaped from the cells last month after overpowering the two police officers who were feeding them.
Back in 2022, one inmate escaped from the same cells under similar circumstances. In 2019, 12 inmates escaped, and in 2014, four did.
In another separate incident, a 51-year-old woman is in critical condition after her 19-year-old nephew allegedly sexually assaulted her, and then inflicted injuries on her private parts with a knife.
Basson stated that the suspect, who was intoxicated at the time, allegedly dragged the victim, forcibly undressed her, and sexually assaulted her.
He then attacked her with a knife, inflicting severe injuries on her private parts.
The suspect has been arrested, and charged with rape and attempted murder. Police investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Kunene police are searching for two trial-awaiting inmates who escaped from the Opuwo holding cells on 26 December.
Inspector Vehangaiza Hindjou, the community affairs officer for the Namibian Police in that region, recently informed Nampa that Simon Ngejama (16), a resident of Opuwo, and an unnamed inmate from Epoko village in the Okalongo constituency of the Omusati region managed to escape by cutting through the roof of their holding cell.
They are charged with various offences, including housebreaking and driving a vehicle with a forged driver’s licence.
-vkaapanda@nepc.com.na