2015-05-07Staff Report 2 The Namibian Police at Walvis Bay uncovered the theft of second-hand vehicles worth about N$1 million and sold through dubious deals allegedly by a former employee of the dealership Jap Japan. The dealership apparently lost more than N$1 million dollars through shady sales of at least 14 vehicles. The dubious sales were discovered on April 27 when the dealership changed its management. Jap Japan is a second-hand car dealership specialising in vehicles imported from Japan and the United Kingdom and resold to Namibians. The police chief in the Erongo Region, Commissioner Samuel //Hoebeb yesterday during a media briefing said police through a sting operation arrested the former manager of the dealership, James Lewis. When he appeared in court Lewis was denied bail and is currently in police custody. Investigations into the elaborate alleged fraud continue. Lewis allegedly got 14 vehicles from warehouses in Walvis Bay that he sold cheapily to individuals across the country. “So far we have recovered and impounded three vehicles, with an estimated value of N$450 000,” //Hoebeb explained. Two of the vehicles were found in Lewis’s possession and one belonged to his girlfriend. The third car was confiscated from a buyer at Walvis Bay. //Hoebeb said more arrests could not be ruled out at this stage as their have widened their investigations to other towns across the country. “Some of the outstanding vehicles are registered with Natis in different towns such as Windhoek, Okahandja, Otjiwarongo, Rundu and Outapi and we are currently trying to locate the buyers,” stated the police commissioner. According to the commissioner the vehicles were sold at a relatively low price. He urged people who bought cars at ridiculously low prices to contact the police. “At this stage we cannot say whether they, the buyers, were aware of the dubious sales. But if you had paid less than the market price for a second-hand car you should be suspicious of such a transaction,” he added. 2015-05-07Staff Report 2
