Professional hit at gun shop

A highly organised and focused group of thieves has been targeting businesses in the Northern, Southern and Prosperita industrial areas in Windhoek. While most of the well-planned heists have involved cash booty of hundreds of thousands, the burglary at Ahrens Guns and Ammunition in Gold Street, Prosperita, does not bode well for the safety and security of law-abiding citizens. The group of thieves, besides making off with N$800 000 in cash, also stole a Sig Sauer SP22 pistol equipped with a silencer, another Sig Sauer pistol without a silencer, a specialised Glock 45ACP pistol, also fitted with a silencer, a .44 Magnum Ruger revolver, fitted with a scope, an Astra .357 revolver, a Franchi 12-guage eight-shell shotgun and a Gamo tactical air pistol. The group of thieves also made off with a Roni conversion kit that can turn the Glock 45ACP into a semi-automatic assault rifle. They further stole two knives, an Apple laptop and one Level 4A bullet-proof vest, the highest standard of ballistic vests made. What is of major concern is that one of the three who entered the shop was clearly the ringleader and knew exactly what he was looking for and what he needed. “As they entered, one can see on the video footage that two of them looked around, astounded at the shop. The larger one walked straight to the safe and started to break it open for the cash. In my office, they left a special edition 30-year-old Glock worth N$70 000 in the same drawer where they removed the Glock ACP,” said owner Sven Ahrens. That the thieves were well informed is obvious and that they were well-organised, even more so. The video footage reads like a Hollywood blockbuster. They entered through the back fence of the property, which is adjacent to a bushy area. First they sprayed black spray paint over the beams to gain access. The fence was then cut and an eight-foot ladder along with other equipment was brought in. Three thieves entered and it is estimated three others (the light was not good) stayed behind, keeping watch outside. They knew exactly where on the roof of the large building to enter, first disabling the alarm’s battery back-up and then the alarm electrical signal. They then proceeded to enter the building through the ceiling and went first to the wireless box that sends a digital feed of the CCTV cameras to Ahrens’s cell phone and then disabled all other alarm systems. “They knew what they were doing. They passed several walk-in safe doors without trying to enter and instead, went straight to the vault door to which access to the store is gained,” Ahrens says. “The leader, after breaking open the safe and taking the cash, then went upstairs. After taking some of the guns from two drawers, he walked to the bullet-proof vests and took the highest level vest that is made.” They passed semi-automatic assault rifles, including AK47s, and countless other weaponry and gift items. Nothing was broken or soiled. They wore balaclavas and gloves. It took them around three and a half hours to complete the heist. Of further concern is that all the staff and other employees underwent polygraph tests and all were cleared. The security company Ahrens employed, however, declined to present their staff for polygraph testing. Further to this, the CCTV system on the premises is rigged to the system at Ahrens’s home and both can be accessed via his cell phone. The system can also be hacked to allow the hacker full view of both surveillance systems and Ahrens says that it was minutes after he switched off his lights to go to bed that they entered the shop in Prosperita. The stolen weapons are all easy to conceal and Ahrens believes that they will be used in the commissioning of further crimes. On October 26, the renowned photographer Helga Kohl was robbed in her home in Kleine Kuppe and she told police that a gun with a silencer was held to her head when she refused to open the safe for the intruders. According to Chief Inspector Kauna Shikwambi, spokesperson at the Namibian Police, the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. YANNA SMITH