Niël Terblanché
A 60-year-old woman from Ondangwa was swindled out of N$345 145 by a group of well-organised criminals who impersonated members of the Namibian Police on Monday.
According to Inspector Thomas Aiyambo from the police in the Oshana Region, the complainant received a phone call from an unknown lady who told her that she wanted to rent an event tent from her.
“The caller and the victim agreed to meet at Mad Dogs in Oluno and from there they went to the branch of Standard Bank in Ondangwa,” Aiyambo said.
He said that when the women arrived at the bank the story about renting a tent quickly turned into a request for help with a diamond deal.
“The suspects convinced the complainant to assist them in their diamond deal. She was asked to give them an amount of money so that the diamond deal worth N$500 000 can be made successfully,” he said.
According to Inspector Aiyambo, the suspects and the complainant went to the Oluno open market to pick up the diamond.
“The victim told investigating officers that while she and the suspects were at the market, a brown double cab bakkie pulled up next to them,” he said.
The victim stated that two or three people got out of the car and told the suspects and the woman that they are police officers.
“The woman was taken into custody by the people pretending to be members of the Namibian Police and ordered to get into the bakkie to be transported to the Ondangwa Police Station for processing. On the way, the driver took a turn to Ongwediva. On the way to Ongwediva the suspects convinced the complainant to pay them a bribe in the amount of N$55 000 so that she can be released,” he said.
According to Inspector Aiyambo, the suspects also demanded that the victim pay them another N$5 000 for providing her with security during the diamond deal.
He said the woman gave the suspects her bank and identification cards along with the cash that they demanded from her.
After that, she was dropped off at the Adolf Location and was left to her own devices.
According to Inspector Aiyambo, the woman went to the bank the next day only to discover that they withdrew N$255 145 from her account. Along with the N$ 55 000 and the N$5 000 she gave them during the bribing and the N$30 000 she gave them to assure the diamond deal she lost a total of N$345 145.
The Ondangwa Police registered a case of theft under false pretences as well as a case of impersonating police officers.
Inspector Aiyambo said that the money has not been recovered and that the suspects have not been arrested.
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