Six students were amongst six others involved in a robbery in Madang on Friday 16th December 2022.
They were involved in a robbery attempt that landed them in police custody.
Police said the students caught were; a grade five student from Jomba Primary, a grade 8 student from Ambarina Primary, a grade nine student from Tusbab Secondary and another from Saidor High School, a grade 10 student from Segu High School in Goroka, and a grade 12 student from Transgogol Secondary School.
Police said all these students reside at different locations within Madang town and conspired to commit the robbery, eventually being caught.
According to police, the others who were involved were adults between the age of 20 and 32 years old.
Police alleged that the men armed with a factory-made pistol, three homemade guns, an axe, and bush knives entered Ideal Mart in town. The armed men robbed items worth more than K10, 000 and a substantial amount of money.
According to police officers and eyewitnesses, four suspects while robbing the store were notified of police presence, who then cut open the ceiling of the building and made off over the fence towards Mabarosa when they were caught.
The armed men fired shots at the police officers and in exchange, five of the 11 suspects were shot and wounded. They are now nursing their wounds at the hospital.
Five others caught were taken to the Jomba Police station and detained. One suspect escaped but his identity is known to the police.
According to police officers, the suspects are known criminals responsible for a series of crimes in the province.