Arrest warrant issued for house robbery suspect

A WINDHOEK resident who is alleged to have been caught red-handed following a morning robbery at a house in Klein Windhoek early last year faces being re-arrested after failing to make a scheduled court appearance last week.

The dock before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba stayed empty when Jan Rooinasie was supposed to appear before her in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Rooinasie has been facing a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances since the end of January last year.Rooinasie was released on bail of N$1 000 in mid October.Because of his unexplained absence from court, Magistrate Shilemba issued a warrant for Rooinasie’s arrest, provisionally cancelled his bail and declared his bail provisionally forfeited to the State.If Rooinasie does not appear in court before July 31, the provisional bail cancellation and forfeiture could be made final on that date.By Friday, Rooinasie had still not surfaced at court to appear as scheduled, even if belatedly.Rooinasie, then 41 years old, was arrested on January 30 last year in the wake of a robbery that had been carried out at a house in the capital on the same morning.It was reported at the time that the robbery had taken place when someone pretending to be a municipal meter reader talked his way onto the premises of the house in Klein Windhoek.Once he had gained entrance, he allegedly attacked a domestic worker, tying her up and gagging her before stealing a range of items worth thousands of Namibia Dollars from the house and leaving the scene.After the victim had managed to free herself, she raised the alarm and members of the Namibian Police, the Windhoek City Police and a private security firm rushed to the scene.They were still at the scene when a relative of the homeowner reportedly spotted someone driving past the house in a taxi and thought that this passenger fitted the description the victim had given of her attacker.When the taxi was stopped, it was found that Rooinasie was the passenger, it is alleged.Unfortunately for Rooinasie, that was not all that was found, it is alleged.Tucked into his trousers, it is alleged, was a pistol that had been stolen during the robbery that morning.Jewellery allegedly stolen during the same incident was also found on him, it is further claimed.In the boot of the taxi, more of the items allegedly stolen during the robbery, including a laptop computer, were found, it was further claimed after his arrest.Rooinasie has been facing a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances since the end of January last year.Rooinasie was released on bail of N$1 000 in mid October.Because of his unexplained absence from court, Magistrate Shilemba issued a warrant for Rooinasie’s arrest, provisionally cancelled his bail and declared his bail provisionally forfeited to the State.If Rooinasie does not appear in court before July 31, the provisional bail cancellation and forfeiture could be made final on that date.By Friday, Rooinasie had still not surfaced at court to appear as scheduled, even if belatedly.Rooinasie, then 41 years old, was arrested on January 30 last year in the wake of a robbery that had been carried out at a house in the capital on the same morning.It was reported at the time that the robbery had taken place when someone pretending to be a municipal meter reader talked his way onto the premises of the house in Klein Windhoek.Once he had gained entrance, he allegedly attacked a domestic worker, tying her up and gagging her before stealing a range of items worth thousands of Namibia Dollars from the house and leaving the scene.After the victim had managed to free herself, she raised the alarm and members of the Namibian Police, the Windhoek City Police and a private security firm rushed to the scene.They were still at the scene when a relative of the homeowner reportedly spotted someone driving past the house in a taxi and thought that this passenger fitted the description the victim had given of her attacker.When the taxi was stopped, it was found that Rooinasie was the passenger, it is alleged.Unfortunately for Rooinasie, that was not all that was found, it is alleged.Tucked into his trousers, it is alleged, was a pistol that had been stolen during the robbery that morning.Jewellery allegedly stolen during the same incident was also found on him, it is further claimed.In the boot of the taxi, more of the items allegedly stolen during the robbery, including a laptop computer, were found, it was further claimed after his arrest.