Coast on alert for robber gangs

TWO dangerous gangs of armed robbers are believed to be operating in the Erongo Region, the region’s police chief, Deputy Commissioner Festus Shilongo, warned yesterday.

Shilongo said one of the gangs was the same that terrorised Windhoek’s business community about two weeks ago.
Lamek Vaileni (38), who was shot dead by Police in Okuryangava in Windhoek two weeks ago, was believed to be a member of this gang.
Vaileni in September shot a Police officer in the legs during an alleged robbery attempt.
Shilongo said some of the gang members are out on bail while awaiting trial on previous charges armed robbery, while others are convicted criminals.
‘The Erongo Police are armed to the teeth, and we are ready to repeat what our colleagues did in Windhoek if these robbers terrorise the people of Erongo,’ he warned.
He warned local businesses to be careful and ‘treat everyone with suspicion’.
He said businesses should not keep large amounts of cash in safes, as one of the robbers is an expert at cutting through roofs and cracking safes.
In the meantime, the Police have arrested three of the four suspects in an armed robbery case at the Walvis Bay Spur restaurant last week.
N$200 000 was stolen after the robbers held the restaurant manager at gunpoint.
Within two hours three men were arrested at the Walvis Bay roadblock. Over N$70 000 was recovered, and three pistols confiscated.
The fourth suspect is believed to have fled to the north of the country.
According to Shilongo the suspects in this case are not linked to the other two gangs.
Other crimes at the coast over the festive season included a woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend nine times with a knife in Walvis Bay. She was arrested, and he survived the attack.
Another case involved a husband who allegedly shot his wife in the legs at Independence Beach in Walvis Bay.
Two security guards were arrested at Henties Bay just before the New Year, where they allegedly robbed a man at an ATM.
‘Crime was much less [at the coast] in comparison to previous festive seasons, and in 2009 we will aggressively implement the ‘Making Erongo Safe’ concept,’ Shilongo said.