KEETMANSHOOP: Residents of Lüderitz town have been living in fear since the beginning of this month following a gang of anonymous rapists that terrorise them at nights.

Suspected rapists who allegedly wear black clothes and balaclavas, chase mostly women in the streets, knock on doors and not say their names when house owners ask, instead they disappear.

Nobody knows how many people are involved in such acts but residents suspect they are more than two.

They apparently also open water taps outside houses in an attempt to get people out of the houses and maybe rob or rape them.

Thursday the residents including school children marched to the police station where they register their concern and requested police to patrol streets in the night.

Terrorised community also asked police to investigate the situation and make sure the culprits are apprehended.

Lüderitz Constituency Councillor Jan Scholtz told Nampa Thursday that his office has been bombarded by complains of such suspected rapists from terrified residents lately.

Individual who were pursued has also been reporting to the police about their encounters.

“We decided to officially ask the police to make sure our street are safe and our women are not living in fear. A female teacher was chased this week and has to be admitted for shock,” Scholtz said.

Councillor says residents should be careful when walking in the night or hear a knock on their doors, but further said they should not allow themselves to live in fear as they are in an independent country.

Two residents also confirmed to Nampa Friday that the situation is scarly and police must make sure that all these criminals are caught.

Approached for comments Detective Chief Inspector Coleen Brandt of the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in Keetmanshoop confirmed that residents have complained about such incidents.

“They are suspecting a gentleman who was arrested at the town lately, for alleged rape and cellphone theft. Despite that, there is no other proofs that link this suspect to community allegations,” Brandt said Friday.

She however promised that police will continue to investigate the situation.

The suspect she referred to is a 35 year-old-male who was arrested on 24 July in connection with a rape of 58 year-old-woman on 11 July.

He is also accused of snatching two Nokia cellphones worth about N.dollars 4 900 on the same night of 11 July.

Police said one cellphone belongs to the rape victim and that suspect used a knife to rob victims and allegedly rape.