Police foil bank robbery, man shot dead

A SUSPECTED armed robber was killed and another injured in a Police ambush after four men attempted to rob a bank at Aussenkehr, in the Karas Region, on Friday.

The men allegedly tied up a security guard and held a bank employee and her family hostage while trying to get into the Aussenkehr Standard Bank branch. According to Karas Regional Commander Josephat Abel, the Police received a tip-off.They said they were informed of a possible armed robbery attempt and had kept the bank under surveillance.A shoot-out occurred and one of the suspects was injured.The other three suspects fled in a white Ford Drifter pick-up, N606KA.But hours later, they were again ambushed by Police on the B1 road to Karasburg, about five kilometres outside Keetmanshoop.According to Abel, the suspected robbers ignored warning shots fired to force them to halt.One of the four suspects, identified as Nesmus Amutenya, died at the scene from a bullet wound to the head.Two other suspects were arrested.Police confiscated a firearm, panga and a cutting torch along with the vehicle allegedly used during the robbery.The robbers allegedly cut the telephone lines at Aussenkehr, situated about 360 kilometres southwest of Keetmanshoop.According to the Aussenkehr Farms security guard, Hendrik Haitembu, the ordeal started at about 01h45 on Friday when he was guarding the entrance gate to the bank and Aussenkehr Farm office blocks.According to Haitembu, a man approached him with a request to help him withdraw money from an Auto Bank Teller machine.The man overpowered Haitembu, and, along with three other men, took him to the house of a bank employee.The suspects knocked on the door, posing as security guards.Haitembu said that when no one answered the door, the suspects broke a window and gained entrance to the house.They held the employee’s husband at gunpoint and demanded the keys to the bank’s vault.The man sustained injuries after he was hit with an iron bar on the left arm.Haitembu stated that the employee told the men she did not have the keys.The men then tied up Haitembu and locked him in the house.The suspects left with the bank employee and her family in search of the keys.Two men are expected to appear in court today in connection with the incident.According to Karas Regional Commander Josephat Abel, the Police received a tip-off. They said they were informed of a possible armed robbery attempt and had kept the bank under surveillance.A shoot-out occurred and one of the suspects was injured.The other three suspects fled in a white Ford Drifter pick-up, N606KA.But hours later, they were again ambushed by Police on the B1 road to Karasburg, about five kilometres outside Keetmanshoop.According to Abel, the suspected robbers ignored warning shots fired to force them to halt.One of the four suspects, identified as Nesmus Amutenya, died at the scene from a bullet wound to the head.Two other suspects were arrested.Police confiscated a firearm, panga and a cutting torch along with the vehicle allegedly used during the robbery.The robbers allegedly cut the telephone lines at Aussenkehr, situated about 360 kilometres southwest of Keetmanshoop.According to the Aussenkehr Farms security guard, Hendrik Haitembu, the ordeal started at about 01h45 on Friday when he was guarding the entrance gate to the bank and Aussenkehr Farm office blocks.According to Haitembu, a man approached him with a request to help him withdraw money from an Auto Bank Teller machine.The man overpowered Haitembu, and, along with three other men, took him to the house of a bank employee.The suspects knocked on the door, posing as security guards.Haitembu said that when no one answered the door, the suspects broke a window and gained entrance to the house.They held the employee’s husband at gunpoint and demanded the keys to the bank’s vault.The man sustained injuries after he was hit with an iron bar on the left arm.Haitembu stated that the employee told the men she did not have the keys.The men then tied up Haitembu and locked him in the house.The suspects left with the bank employee and her family in search of the keys.Two men are expected to appear in court today in connection with the incident.