MASERU – TLOTLISO Nkunyane, a man linked to a series of violent armed robberies, was last Thursday denied bail by a Mohale’s Hoek magistrate Peter McPherson.
Nkunyane, 33, was shot and injured following a confrontation with the police last month. He was charged with armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm when he appeared before court last week.
He remains in custody after he was denied bail.
The prosecution says Nkunyane, also known by aliases Boima and Mashoto, tried to rob a family of Indian descent of their car at gunpoint on the night of May 17 this year in Maseru.
The prosecution told the court that Nkunyane was with two other robbers who escaped during the gun fight with the police. Nkunyane could not flee after he was shot on the leg during the fracas.
The court heard that the family, a couple and two children, were passing near the old parliament building at night when they were attacked.
The family tried to flee but the attackers gave chase.
Members of the police’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) responded to gunshots which led to a shootout along Moshoeshoe Road.
The attackers are said to have stopped their car and fled on foot while shooting at the police.
The police returned fire and shot Nkunyane on the leg.
The police found him with a 9mm gun and 10 bullets.
He was taken to a local hospital and when he recovered, he was taken to court last week.
Further investigations by the police revealed that Nkunyane was wanted in connection with five more cases of armed robberies around the country.
The police say last year Nkunyane was attacked by a mob and was seriously injured.
He was later admitted at a hospital after he was caught robbing some foreigners in Hillsview in Maseru.
He escaped from the hospital and had been on the police’s “wanted list” for months.
Staff Reporter
