2013-12-19Staff Report 2 WALVIS BAY - The Prosecutor General Advocate Martha Imalwa will decide whether to charge the girlfriends of security guard Mutatubi Sylvester Kopani and witchdoctor Calvin Banenani Chinkhombe, who were arrested for the N$4.3 million heist at the coast. An amount of N$1.8 million in cash and cheques of N$2.5 million was collected in safety boxes from six businesses in Walvis Bay by Kopani for security company Namibian Protection Services (NPS) for delivery to various banks last week Wednesday. Instead, Kopani fled with the money and shared the loot with Chinkhombe. Two women were questioned last week following the arrest of Kopani and Chinkhombe over the weekend in Walvis Bay and Katima Mulilo respectively. Kopani, who worked for NPS and believed to be the mastermind behind the heist, was arrested at a flat in Kabeljou Street in Kuisebmond that belongs to Chinkhombe. He was found in possession of N$900 000 and cheques of N$ 2.5 million during his arrest. Chinkhombe was arrested last Saturday at the Wenela border post in the Zambezi Region while trying to cross into Zambia with N$809 000 in cash. So far the police have recovered all the cheques and N$1.78 million dollars as well as new clothes, two Samsung smartphones and a calculator used to calculate the loot. According to Detective Inspector John Mwatongwe, a report was already compiled by Nampol and forwarded to Imwala to decide on the fate of the two women. “It’s only the PG who can decide how the two girlfriends of the suspects will be linked to the case. At the moment we regard them as witnesses unless the PG states otherwise,” he explained. He further said that statements were already obtained from them and that they are cooperative. Detective Inspector Erastus Iikuyu told New Era Nampol confiscated N$9 400 from Kopani’s girlfriend who resides in Hematite Street in Kuisebmond last week Friday shortly after Kopani was arrested. He also said Kopani also give another N$1 000 to his girlfriend, which she had used. The witchdoctor also gave his girlfriend N$1000 to buy food prior to his short-lived escape. Apart from that the police also confiscated four pairs of ladies shoes estimated to cost N$1 500 from the suspects. By Eveline de Klerk 2013-12-19Staff Report 2
