A 19-year-old woman from the Northern Beaches has been charged with accessory to murder in connection with a gangland hit.
Fears that Western Sydney’s gang violence may be creeping into the Northern Beaches have been fuelled with the arrest of a 19-year-old woman at Belrose in connection with the shooting death of a man at Lidcombe in March this year.
Around 4.00am Monday, 16 March 2026, 38-year-old Abdullah Bahsa was shot in the stomach at a unit block at Shale Street, Lidcombe, by a group of assailants who had lain in wait since 11.00pm the previous night for Mr Bahsa to return home.
Mr Bahsa was in the company of another man, who was also injured in the shooting, receiving non-life threatening injuries. Mr Bahsa was taken to Westmead Hospital but was unable to be revived and died from his injuries.
Police said the shooting of Mr Bahsa was targeted, and it is understood he was known to them for involvement in the criminal underworld. The assailants were described by police at the time as ‘two heavy set men wearing black clothing’ but they believed several people had been involved in the killing.
Around 1.30pm the same day (Monday, 16 March 2026), police arrested a 21-year-old man at Ermington when they found a gun in his vehicle they believed was connected to the attack, and at 8.00pm arrested a 22-year-old Ermington man in a raid.
In response to the shooting, NSW Police Strike Force Vanport was established by Auburn Police Area Command, with support from State Crime Command units including Homicide and Robbery / Serious Crimes Squads.
On Thursday, 26 March 2026, detectives attached to Strike Force Vanport had identified two additional persons of interest they wished to speak with in connection with the shooting.
Three men were subsequently arrested in the Illawarra last month (Tuesday, 04 August 2026) — two 19-year-old men and an 18-year-old man. The younger man was charged with murder in connection with the Lidcombe shooting.
Yesterday (Friday, 25 September 2026), Strike Force Vanport detectives made four further arrests in relation to the gangland killing, one of whom was a 19-year-old woman at Belrose.
The other three people arrested in police raids yesterday include a 23-year-old man at Oakhurst, a 24-year-old woman at Rosehill, and a 20-year-old man at Kemps Creek. All four were charged in relation to the alleged murder and refused bail.
The 19-year old woman was arrested in a raid on a house at Pindrie Place, Belrose, just after 7.45am. She was taken to Manly Police Station and charged with accessory after the fact to murder, under Section 349(1) of the Crimes Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.
The woman appeared before Manly Local Court same day (Friday, 25 September 2026), where an application for bail was made by her lawyer but held over to another hearing.
In evidence put before the court, police allege that between Sunday, 02 August 2026 and Tuesday, 04 August 2026, at Coledale Beach Reserve just north of Wollongong, the woman ‘did receive, harbour, maintain and assist’ one of the 18-year-old men who is charged with the murder of Mr Bahsa.
The arrest of the Belrose woman comes as concerns are mounting over the possible expansion of criminal syndicates into the Northern Beaches. Fuelled by underworld links to illicit tobacco and drugs, the Northern Beaches is a lucrative area for organised criminal activity.
Further concerns have been mounting about the recruitment of teenagers, both under and over 18 years of age, as ‘criminals for hire’ by crime gangs. Northern Beaches Police Area Command recently issued a warning about increased levels of vehicle theft.
While some of the reported vehicle thefts are related to joy-riding, criminal gangs are known to pay for vehicles to use in later crimes. A source has revealed at least one ‘kill car’ (a stolen vehicle to be used in a crime such as a shooting) has recently been located by police on the Northern Beaches.
Images: Northern Beaches Advocate (file)
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