Luanda – At least five suspects have been arrested and presented Sunday by the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) for their alleged involvement in the robbery and death of Angolan sociologist Laurindo Vieira in the country’s capital, Luanda.
The suspects are Hélder Ricardo Dala de Carvalho (Pambala or Pampam), 23 years old, who confessed of shooting the victim, and Adriano de Jesus Fragoso Junior (Mula) a 33 years old, who controlled the people who withdrew large sums of money from the banks.
The third individual was identified as Raúl Francisco Domingos Gaieta (Raúl), a 36-year-old married man who was the driver of the personalized UGO taxi used in the criminal action.
All three were directly involved in the operation that culminated in the murder of the university lecturer Laurindo Vieira, while two others, known as Camaro, the leader of the group, and Caboba or Famoso, the driver of the motorbike, are on the run.
The SIC also arrested and presented Gerson Celson Manaças, 32, for buying the victim's phone and reselling it to his 32-year-old cousin, who was also arrested.
According to the SIC spokesperson, Manuel Halaiwa, the suspects are being accused of aggravated robbery, conspiracy to murder and buying stolen goods.
"This work involved all the forces of the Criminal Investigation Service, which found out that this was a criminal network, made up of five elements, three of whom have already been arrested, who have police records for their involvement in other crimes," Halaiwa said.
The SIC spokesperson added that the arrest of these citizens allowed more than five robberies to be clarified, some of which they were directly involved in and others in which they participated.
He urged the leader of the group and the driver of the motorbike to turn in to the police in order to be held criminally responsible.
"We are going to work towards locating and arresting these individuals, so that they can be held criminally responsible, since they have already been duly identified," the SIC official said.
The spokesperson added that the group operated inside and near banking institutions, primarily targeting people who moved large sums of money.
The SIC recovered the phone of the victim, a Makarov pistol and a Toyota Avanza vehicle used to commit crimes.
Statements on the case
During the presentation, Hélder Ricardo (Pambala), who has been attending training for the Civil Protection and Firefighters for three months, said they were after the money withdrawn by Laurindo Vieira at the bank branch, estimated at one million kwanzas, according to the bank statement.
"We came across him in Patriota (a street in Luanda), on the main road, with the intention of taking only the money that we learnt about from Ivan, a friend of ours, who was not captured by the SIC. That was the plan and my job was to be on the motorbike with Cabobo," explained the shooter.
He clarified that on that day they had a car and a motorbike to carry out the action.
"I was the one who fired the shot, but it wasn't intentional. He took out his gun, manipulated it in front of me and, out of fright, I shot him in the leg and fled, taking the gun and the phone with me," emphasized Hélder Ricardo, for whom this was his first action.
Sociologist Laurindo Vieira was shot dead outside a bank branch in the Patriota area, Talatona municipality (Luanda), last Thursday.
Laurindo Vieira was a member of the MPLA Central Committee and until the time of his death, the rector of the Gregório Semedo private University.
Born in Dange-Quitexe, in the province of Uíge, he had a degree in sociology and a master's degree in educational sciences from the University of Porto in Portugal.
The university lecturer gained recognition for his work in education and as a commentator on private TV Zimbo and Angola Public Television (TPA), where he shared his expertise on issues of great social and political relevance. OHA/AMP
