Manhunt for armed robbers in North

A MASSIVE manhunt was launched yesterday for three armed robbers who had stolen N$120 000 from a farm near Tsumeb on Wednesday.
The men, part of a five-man gang, managed to flee on foot into the notoriously thick bush of the area on Wednesday night. The Police arrested two men in a green Jetta getaway car, but the three suspects who had fled on foot were in possession of the stolen cash.

Police from Tsintsabis received reinforcements from other Police stations in the district and began a thorough search by car and foot in the area between Tsumeb and Grootfontein. Yesterday afternoon, the three suspects were briefly spotted on a farm on the road to Grootfontein, and the Police hoped to arrest them soon. However, by the time of going to press yesterday evening, the three fugitives were still at large.Shortly before nine on Wednesday night, five men arrived on Wildernis, a farm close to the village of Tsintsabis, where Erik Louw and his wife Hilda, were forced at gunpoint to hand over N$120 000. The robbers also stole a laptop computer, a camera and threatened the couple at gunpoint to hand over the jewellery and watches they were wearing. They also grabbed Mrs Louw’s handbag and her cellphone before leaving. According to reports, the gunmen carried a 9mm pistol which they used to threaten the couple into submission.According to various residents in the area, Mrs Louw was able to cut through the bonds around her wrists after the men had left the house and alerted construction workers camping nearby.Since then, local residents and the Police have been in hot pursuit of the armed robbers. Erik Louw described the nightmare the next day, after the Police had escorted him and his wife to Tsumeb. He said the men arrived at the house at approximately 19h45 after cutting through a security fence around the farmhouse. ‘I was on the cellphone when I was suddenly confronted with the gun,’ he said.He said the men were relatively calm, as long as both of the Louws kept their heads down.’At one point my wife looked up, because she wanted to be able to identify their faces. They threatened to shoot her if she did not keep her head down.’ Louw said he and the Police suspected that the attackers had inside information that the wages for the construction workers were being kept inside the house. ‘They went directly to our room. They did not hesitate,’ he said.Louw is a subcontractor involved in the upgrading of the Tsumeb-Tsintsabis road, and was put in charge of the wages. Besides the emotional trauma they had suffered, Louw said he and his wife sustained only minor injuries.’My wife has scratches on her back and I have a few cut marks where they tied me up,’ he said.Louw is thankful that he was at the house, as he quite often works late at the construction site.’I can only imagine what could have happened if she was alone,’ he said.