Katima mulilo: A 35-year-old woman is expected to make her first appearance in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court on Friday on perjury charges after she allegedly faked a housebreaking to defraud an insurance company.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Katima Mulilo Police Station Commander, Chief Inspector Charles Mayumbelo, stated at a media briefing that the woman was arrested on Thursday after she reported a housebreaking incident at her residence, claiming that sofas she had purchased months ago from a local furniture shop had been stolen.

Investigations later revealed that the sofas had in fact been hidden at a friend's house in Nova Township in an attempt to defraud an insurance company. "Upon arrival at her house, officers observed that there was no damage to the door and no footprints, which prompted police officers to investigate further, only to learn that the sofas were removed from the complainant's house and taken to her friend's house in order to defraud the insurance company," Mayumbelo said.

Further investigations revealed that the woman was still paying for the sofas, which are now being kept at the police station as court exhibits, but was two months in arrears on her payments for the sofas. The station commander warned members of the public to desist from similar crimes.

He said the woman's case has served as an eye-opener for the police and several similar cases are expected to be investigated soon. "What people should know is that we are here to investigate," he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, four suspects believed to be running a car-smuggling syndicate were also arrested Wednesday night and charged with contravening the Customs and Excise Act, the Import and Export Control Act, and the Road Traffic and Transport Act. The suspects allegedly smuggled a second-hand vehicle into Namibia through non-gazetted entry points and falsely displayed different number plates and discs. They are also expected to appear in court on Friday.

Source: Emirates News Agency