Windhoek — A woman believed to be part of a criminal syndicate was granted bail when she made her second appearance in the Katutura Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Francina Iipinge, aged 28, appeared before Magistrate Johannes Shuuveni facing a charge of theft under false pretence. Iipinge's bail was originally set at N$3 000, but she informed the court that she could not afford it. "I cannot afford the amount as I am unemployed," she told the court. The bail was then reduced to N$1 500.

The matter was remanded to October 10 for further investigation.

Iipinge and three men are charged with stealing N$13 000 from Josephina Kamati in May by telling her that they were part of an organisation that assists poor people, and that one of the shops at the Katutura shopping complex was giving goods for free.

The three men who were allegedly with Iipinge have not been arrested yet. They ran away resulting in a police chase from the Katutura shopping complex to the Northern Industrial Area. It is not clear how Kamati parted with the N$13 000.

Kamati was allegedly going to pay her tuition fees at the International University of Management (IUM), and went to withdraw money from FNB in the Katutura shopping complex. Peter Kandjumbwa prosecuted.