A man suspected of allegedly impersonating a police officer was shot by a Namibian Police Force (NamPol) officer after reportedly pulling a toy gun when police attempted to arrest him for impersonation and extortion at Swakopmund on Monday.
The police in an incident report issued late Tuesday, said the suspect was shot in the thigh after NamPol received a complaint from a 78-year-old doctor about text messages from a male person who identified himself as a police constable.
“It is alleged that the suspect made the complainant believe he (suspect) had spoken to the public prosecutor as a police officer, asking for N.dollars 5 000 to have the son of the 78-year-old doctor released from police custody on bail. The son has been in police custody since March on a case of possession of suspected stolen goods,” the report said.
It further stated that on a different day, the suspect arranged for a meeting in Mondesa for the complainant to pay N.dollars 5 500 as bail money to the suspect. At this point, the doctor withdrew N.dollars 8 000 and gave N.dollars 5 500 to the suspect, who then grabbed the remaining amount from the doctor.
On a different occasion, the suspect reportedly requested a new cell phone and further grabbed the complainant’s cell phone.
The police responded through an organised undercover operation and two suspects were caught in action, receiving the money from the doctor.
“Upon noticing the police, one of the two suspects pulled out a knife to stab the officer who approached him. It is also alleged that while resisting arrest, the suspect pulled up his shirt to show that he was armed with a gun. Hence, the member shot the suspect in his right thigh. It was later discovered that the suspect pulled out a toy gun,” the report read.
The shot suspect was taken to the Swakopmund State Hospital in a stable condition and is under police guard. Both suspects were arrested.
A case of attempted murder was opened against the police officer who shot one of the suspects and police investigations continue.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
