RUNDU – The main suspect who is thought to have carried out the ruthless murder of a Chinese businessman at his residence in Rundu last week was arrested.
Chinese businessman, 57-year-old Gao Li who owned Panda shop at Rundu, was allegedly murdered when a gang of armed robbers forcefully entered his residence at Rainbow Village in a crime that shocked Rundu.
The 40-year-old suspect, whose name is known to New Era but cannot be revealed as he will only appear in court today, was arrested at Otjiwarongo on Monday.
The robbers forcibly entered the man’s home through the bathroom window after cutting the burglar bars, Detective Chief Inspector Chrispin Mubebo told New Era last week.
“They cut the burglar bars with an unknown object and gained entrance and robbed the deceased after beating him and tying him up with Sellotape around both his legs and arms; the deceased died on the spot,” Mubebo said at the time the crime was detected.
The victim was alone in the house and no one could confirm what the robbers took as his wife and child had travelled to China.
The robbers who appeared to have been looking for money and other valuables ransacked the house but left some furniture and electrical appliances untouched.
Deputy Commissioner Moses Khairabeb the regional crime coordinator for Otjozondjupa Region said police investigators trailed the suspect after being alerted to his whereabouts by their colleagues in Kavango East.
The suspect, who police sources revealed is a hardcore habitual criminal, yesterday appeared in court in a separate case in which he robbed a Chinese shop at Shitemo village of N$10 000 in cash and various groceries worth N$22 000 last week Tuesday. On that day the suspects who pretended to be customers entered the shop when it was about to close and held its petrified owner at gunpoint.
Among the other items stolen at Shitemo was a Samsung laptop valued at N$11 000, recharge vouchers worth N$9 000 and eight cellphones valued at N$2 400.
“My colleagues from the other side called me and when they mentioned the name I knew who he was. Our informers identified the suspect who robbed the Chinese shop at Shitemo, east of Rundu, after we showed them a photo of the suspect,” narrated the Deputy Commissioner.
The notorious armed robber is said to have been on bail after he was arrested earlier this year in Rundu for possessing firearms illegally and he is said to be a notorious armed robber in Otjozondjupa Region as well.
According to Deputy Commissioner Khairabeb, the suspect was also arrested at Omaruru last year for armed robbery and he was released on bail but he failed to appear in court for trial.
The suspect will appear in court today at Rundu with one of his accomplices who was arrested in Oshakati yesterday for the murder of the Chinse businessman.
Rundu’s business fraternity previously experienced attacks targeting business people. In January this year the manager of a popular Portuguese takeaway and his wife were tied up and robbed of N$400 000 allegedly by a gang of eight robbers who entered the takeaway.
By John Muyamba