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Namibian outlaw caught

Namibian outlaw caught

ONE of Namibia’s most wanted crime suspects, Jason Awene, alias Kilingi, has been arrested in South Africa.

Armed robbery suspect Awene, who has been on the run from the law in Namibia since the end of 2004, was arrested at Atamelang, a town in South Africa’s North West Province, on October 3, Ministry of Justice official Dennis Khama confirmed yesterday. Awene has been wanted by the Namibian Police since early January last year.He is suspected of having been involved in a cash-in-transit heist in which a record N$5,7 million was stolen from a security company vehicle on December 29 2004.The heist was carried out in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek after the two-man crew of a cash-in-transit vehicle that was on its way to deliver a load of money to banks at the coast had stopped to pick up a hitchhiker.The hitchhiker turned out to be armed, and forced the crew to stop the vehicle, after which a gang of robbers descended on the van.They made off with N$5,76 million, which is the largest single amount of money yet to have been stolen in a robbery in Namibia.The Police claim to have recovered close to N$3,4 million of the stolen money since then, with some N$1,35 million claimed to have been found in late January last year when an attempt was made to place this money in a safety deposit box at a bank in Kakamas in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.According to the Police, who have described Awene as a key suspect in the case, he is suspected of having been the “hitchhiker” who set the robbery in motion.The Police reported early last year that they suspected that Awene had fled from Namibia to South Africa on January 10 last year.Khama, who is the Justice Ministry’s key official responsible for extradition requests by and to Namibia, said Awene was arrested at the request of the Namibian authorities.A formal request for his extradition to Namibia is being prepared, and is expected to be submitted to the South African authorities this week still, Khama said.Awene made a first appearance in a court in South Africa on October 4, and has remained in custody since then, he added.He has to appear in court again on October 25.Khama added that Awene has indicated that he would not resist steps to extradite him from South Africa to Namibia.If Namibia’s extradition request has been submitted to the South African authorities by the time of Awene’s next scheduled court appearance, an extradition enquiry will be held by a Magistrate, who in terms of South African law would have to order that Awene be held in custody if he or she finds that Awene is liable to be extradited, Khama explained.Once a Magistrate has found Awene extraditable, it would be up to South Africa’s Justice Minister to order that he be returned to Namibia, Khama said.In Namibia, Awene would be joining five men as suspects in the case.They include Jan Johannes Julius, who was the driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle.The five suspects, who are all free on bail, have to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court again on November 20.Awene has been wanted by the Namibian Police since early January last year.He is suspected of having been involved in a cash-in-transit heist in which a record N$5,7 million was stolen from a security company vehicle on December 29 2004. The heist was carried out in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek after the two-man crew of a cash-in-transit vehicle that was on its way to deliver a load of money to banks at the coast had stopped to pick up a hitchhiker.The hitchhiker turned out to be armed, and forced the crew to stop the vehicle, after which a gang of robbers descended on the van.They made off with N$5,76 million, which is the largest single amount of money yet to have been stolen in a robbery in Namibia.The Police claim to have recovered close to N$3,4 million of the stolen money since then, with some N$1,35 million claimed to have been found in late January last year when an attempt was made to place this money in a safety deposit box at a bank in Kakamas in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.According to the Police, who have described Awene as a key suspect in the case, he is suspected of having been the “hitchhiker” who set the robbery in motion.The Police reported early last year that they suspected that Awene had fled from Namibia to South Africa on January 10 last year.Khama, who is the Justice Ministry’s key official responsible for extradition requests by and to Namibia, said Awene was arrested at the request of the Namibian authorities.A formal request for his extradition to Namibia is being prepared, and is expected to be submitted to the South African authorities this week still, Khama said.Awene made a first appearance in a court in South Africa on October 4, and has remained in custody since then, he added.He has to appear in court again on October 25.Khama added that Awene has indicated that he would not resist steps to extradite him from South Africa to Namibia.If Namibia’s extradition request has been submitted to the South African authorities by the time of Awene’s next scheduled court appearance, an extradition enquiry will be held by a Magistrate, who in terms of South African law would have to order that Awene be held in custody if he or she finds that Awene is liable to be extradited, Khama explained.Once a Magistrate has found Awene extraditable, it would be up to South Africa’s Justice Minister to order that he be returned to Namibia, Khama said.In Namibia, Awene would be joining five men as suspects in the case.They include Jan Johannes Julius, who was the driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle.The five suspects, who are all free on bail, have to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court again on November 20.

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