Student nurse kidnapped for extortion

Placido Hilukilwa

A WORRYING crime trend has emerged in the north, where criminals kidnap their victims with the objective of extorting money from their relatives and friends. Two separate incidents have been recorded in the Oshana Region so far.

The latest incident happened on Monday evening when a female nursing student at UNAM’s Oshakati Campus, who was on her way to Ongwediva, was kidnapped by three unknown male suspects who demanded money from her parents in exchange for her release.

The 20-year-old victim was only released after her parents transferred N$4 680 to the criminals. It all started when the victim caught a taxi from Oshakati West to Ongwediva. But as things turned out, the “taxi driver” and his two “passengers” were actually a gang of criminals.

They threatened the student nurse with a knife, assaulted her, and robbed her of her cellphone valued at N$2 500. The suspects also made telephonic contact with their victim’s parents and friends, demanding money. They threatened that if their demand was not met within a specific time frame, they would rape the victim and then sell her to “Angolan human traffickers.”

When the fear-stricken parents transferred an initial amount of N$3 900 and the criminals said that it was not enough, another payout (N$780) was sent, for a total cash amount of N$4 680. The victim was then dropped off in the bushes near Ongwediva, where she was found screaming by a road-user who took her to the local police station.

She was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment and counselling. The police are now investigating cases of kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

A similar incident occurred in Oshakati earlier last month, and the 25-year-old victim was also a student nurse. She too was in a taxi when one of the “fellow passengers” grabbed her handbag containing N$2 300 and snatched her cellphone before instructing her to demand that her relatives transfer N$5 000, which they did. She too was dropped off, and the four criminals went away N$7 300 richer.