Tsitsi Matope
A 52-year-old Naleli businessman was shot dead in his shop last Tuesday—allegedly by a robber who had pretended to be a customer.
The police are still hunting for the suspect, who reportedly entered the shop situated in Rasetimela village in Naleli, at around 9:40pm pretending he wanted to buy some food.
However, the suspect is said to have later pulled out a gun and pointed it at the shop-owner.
The Officer Commanding Maseru Urban, Senior Superintendent Mofokeng Kolo on Friday said the robber then ordered the victim to hand over all the money in his possession.
“However, we don’t understand why just when the businessman had turned his back in an attempt to get the money, the suspect opened fire and shot him twice in the back before he ran away,” Snr Supt Kolo said.
The cold-blooded murder, Snr Supt Kolo said, happened in the presence of the businessman’s son and some customers, who had been ordered to lie down during the confrontation.
“The injured businessman was rushed to Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital but was unfortunately pronounced dead on arrival,” Snr Supt Kolo said.
Meanwhile, Snr Supt Kolo has urged shop-owners in Maseru to ensure more security at their businesses and introduce other mechanisms that would prevent the loss of lives.
“One way of reducing the risk on their lives is to make sure that they close their businesses early. The challenge we are having is not just about protecting goods and money in the shops but importantly, the lives of workers and the customers, and of-course the shop-owners themselves.”
Snr Supt Kolo further urged all police stations to strengthen collaborations with neighbourhood watch committees to boost security and visibility “24 hours a day”.
Comments are closed.