Niël Terblanché
The Namibian Police in the Otjozondjupa Region is hunting for a gang of five armed robbers that attacked the 70-year-old Udo Gartner on his farm near Grootfontein on Sunday night.
According to the report provided by Inspector Maureen Mbeha, the robbery gang pretended to be members of the Namibian Police when they approached Gartner in his house. She indicated that one of the robbers was dressed in the camouflaged uniform of the Special Field Force and that the person also wore a reflector jacket normally associated with the Namibian Police. Mbeha added that the four remaining men were dressed in civilian clothes
“The gang entered the farmhouse and demanded that the owner open his safe. The victim did as he was ordered but the attackers still hit him on his head and arms with the stocks of the guns they were armed with. They did not attack the victim’s wife who was also in the house,” she said.
The elderly Gartner visited the hospital in Grootfontein on Monday morning to receive treatment and he is reported to be in a stable condition.
According to Mbeha, the robbers managed to steal four firearms and two cell phones.
“In their search for the fake cop and his four friends the police revisited the crime scene and found that the robbery gang also robbed foreign visitors that were staying in a guest house on the farm,” she said.
Mbeha did not specify if the visitors from Swaziland were held at gunpoint or assaulted but she said that the robbery gang managed to steal four iPhones, one Nikon camera, jewellery such as rings and earrings and N$6 000 in cash. She added that the value of all the stolen goods amounts to N$178 116.20
“Investigators also established during their second sweep of the crime scene that five firearms were stolen from the elderly farmer,” she said.
According to Mbeha the hunt for the robbery gang is still ongoing.
