Grootfontein: The Otjozondjupa police have formally launched an investigation and pursuit for a male taxi driver suspected of raping a four-year-old girl he was asked to drop off at a house in the Blikkiesdorp informal area at Grootfontein.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Namibian Police Force (NamPol) head of community affairs in the Otjozondjupa Region, Senior Inspector Maureen Mbeha, stated on Tuesday that the incident reportedly occurred on Sunday between 09h00 and 12h45 at the town. “It is alleged that the 27-year-old mother of the victim gave her child to the suspect in Omulunga to go and drop off at her aunt’s house in the Blikkiesdorp informal area at about 09h00 while she was going for work,” Mbeha explained.

At around 11h00, the mother contacted her aunt to confirm the child’s arrival, only to be informed that the child had not yet been dropped off. It was not until 12h45 that the child was finally dropped off by the taxi driver, at which point she complained of pain in her private parts, Mbeha reported.

The aunt, upon examining the child, observed some white discharge, prompting her to immediately inform the child’s mother. The child was subsequently taken to the hospital with the assistance of some Grootfontein police officers, where it was confirmed that she had been raped.

A case of rape has been opened at the Omulunga Police Station against the taxi driver, who remains at large. Police investigations into the matter are ongoing.