The body of 62-year-old Daniel Mapeu, who went missing while fishing in the riverbed near Farm Kashas in the Hardap Region on Monday, has been recovered by divers from the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Reserve Force.

According to a NamPol report issued on Wednesday, Mapeu and a companion were fishing in the riverbed when they came under gunfire from an unknown assailant. The two men allegedly fled the scene in different directions, and Haingura later reported the incident to the authorities on Tuesday.

A search party led by the NamPol officers was immediately dispatched to the area. However, Mapeu’s body was only located the following day, when it was retrieved from the river by police divers near the Farm Kashas riverbed.

NamPol’s Head of the Crime Investigation Directorate in the Hardap Region, Deputy Commissioner John Mwatongwe, confirmed the incident, saying that investigations are ongoing and that the motive behind the shooting remains unclear.

The body has since been taken to the Mariental State Hospital mortuary for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The deceased’s next of kin have been informed of his death.