Lae police have denied claims of execution-style killing at Bumbu on Saturday night following a shootout.
Chinatown and Bumbu residents claimed that suspects from an armed robbery had surrendered after a shootout at Bumbu between 10 and 11pm. The residents alleged that in spite of that, the suspects were killed by police.
Lae metropolitan superintendent, Chris Kunyanban, refuted the allegations, saying after robbing a gold buyer at Markham Haus, market area, police chased the suspects, where a shootout ensued from the Lae Yacht Club down to the Pistol Club towards Bumbu.
“There was no surrender of suspects during the encounter,” stated Chief Superintendent Kunyanban.
“During the chase, there was a shootout between the criminals and the police. You can see there’s an empty shell there; an empty shell indicates it has been discharged,” he said, pointing to empty bullet shells collected from the site.
“The encounter resulted in the death of two suspects and three of them got injured.”
Around 10pm on Saturday, June 26th, unsuspecting gold buyers were tricked into opening their doors after receiving a call from a purported gold dealer. Instead, around 10 men robbed them at gunpoint and made off with a “substantial amount” of money, including gold with an estimated value of K100,000-K200,000.
Some suspects escaped on foot while others fled using a vehicle.
Three suspects have been detained while police have confiscated a hand grenade, a Winchester rifle, an air pistol, a staple gun and a bush knife.
(An array of items confiscated after Saturday’s shootout)