Three airline staff members denied bail in luggage theft case

The small fraternity of people working for the various service providers at the Walvis Bay Airport were shocked to learn this week of the arrest of three of their colleagues after high value items were stolen from the luggage of an airline passenger on Saturday (13 April 2017). Two of the arrested are employees of SA Express and one is from Air Namibia.
Leevi Petrus (58) of Air Namibia and SA Express employees Castro Sanagi (29) and Abed Shatilwe (36) made a first appearance on charges of theft in the Walvis Bay magistrates court on Wednesday. They were denied bail and the matter was postponed for further investigation to 29 June.
The victim of the theft is a Chinese national whose identity has not been provided. The man was travelling to China, but only after arriving at his destination discovered two bottles of whiskey, a bottle of wine, a jacket and a pair of shoes were missing from his luggage.
Suspecting the items were stolen at the Walvis Bay Airport, the man phoned a friend in Walvis Bay who reported the matter to the police. It is alleged that the suspects opened the victims’ bag and removed two bottles of whisky, a bottle of wine, a jacket and a pair of shoes. The victim noticed the missing items when he arrived in China, and immediately contacted a friend in Namibia who then reported the incident to the police. The suspects, who are believed to be employees of Air Namibia and South African Express, were arrested and charged while only two items were recovered. The accused appeared in court yesterday, and the investigation continues.