In a strange twist of irony, a 58-year-old-man initially wanted by the police for the alleged theft of N$130 000 tasted his own medicine when he was swindled of N$70 000.
Conmen sweet-talked him into a bogus car deal that would have been sealed at Keetmanshoop.
The ‘victim’ suffered a double blow when he was conned of N$70 000 and to compound matters he got arrested for the initial theft of N$130 000 for which he was being sought by the police. According to
//Kharas police region crime investigation coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Chrispin Mubebo, the suspect in the N$130 000 theft Norman Plaatjie was approached by conmen purporting to sell a Nissan Note at Keetmanshoop and was willing to purchase it for N$70 000. Mubebo said Plaatjie withdrew money and gave it to the seller who was supposed to get some documents from NaTIS but this never happened because once the swindler got the N$70 000, he vanished into thin air and his whereabouts are unknown according to Mubebo.
“The seller’s cellphone is off. It seems it was just used only for this purpose,” stated Mubebo.
When Plaatjie went to the police to register a case of theft, police officers already had an outstanding warrant of arrest for his arrest for theft under false pretenses involving the N$130 000 in which the complainant is a State prosecutor. “There is a strong possibility that the money he withdrew to buy the vehicle was from the N$130 000 reported as stolen,” stated Mubebo.
Plaatjie was arrested on the warrant of arrest and when he appeared in court, he was denied bail and his case was postponed to 4 June. His next court appearance is scheduled for Swakopmund.
“The money was stolen from an individual in Erongo region and when he travelled to Keetmanshoop to buy a vehicle, he was in turn crooked,” stated Mubebo. – sikela@nepc.com.na