BETHANIE — The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) is actively searching for three men accused of assaulting and robbing a 61-year-old farmer at his Bethanie district farm on Saturday evening, according to officials.

According to Namibia Press Agency, NamPol crime investigations coordinator for the ||Kharas Region, Deputy Commissioner Nikodemus Mbango, detailed the event in a report released Sunday. The incident occurred around 19:00 at Farm Middledam, where it is alleged that the suspects assaulted the farm owner, tied him up, and forcibly obtained keys to his safes. The assailants reportedly stole a rifle, food items, a solar pump, and various tools.

The suspects initially escaped in the victim's vehicle, using it as a getaway car. Although the vehicle along with the food items and tools were later recovered, the rifle remains missing. "After the suspects fled, the victim managed to reach a neighboring farm on foot, where the neighbors contacted the police," Mbango explained. The vehicle was intercepted by police near Keetmanshoop, but the suspects escaped on foot into a rocky area, complicating the arrest efforts.

During the preliminary investigation at the scene, police discovered three different types of shoeprints at the back of the house, suggesting that the suspects might have removed the solar pump before entering the house through a window.

The victim was transported to Keetmanshoop State Hospital for treatment following the ordeal. The suspects, still at large, are facing charges of robbery with aggravated circumstances as police continue their search in the region.