Abduction

Morobe rural police commander, Superintendent David Warap, said when a Mobile Squad 13 section went to Gumia village to contain the situation, there was no one present as people had fled their homes following the July 12^th confrontation between the gang and a resistant group.

During that time, a member of the suspected cult group was beheaded while another man from the resistant group was killed.

Police are working with locals to pinpoint the location of the four. 

The abduction follows a police report of a confrontation between the cult group – which was believed to be operating in the village of Gumia since March this year – and a resistance group.

Morobe police reported that during the confrontation on July 12th, a member each from the two groups was killed. 

Villagers from Gumia have scattered and are living in fear of a retaliation from the cult group as one of their members was beheaded during the confrontation. 

The committal court heard today that 25-year-old Paul Stony, from Henganofi in Eastern Highlands Province, allegedly abducted the three-year-old in front of her family’s store at Four-Mile on Friday, October 7th, 2022.

The toddler was with her mother and grandmother, who were selling betelnut and cold water in front of the store.

According to the police report, her mother left her with her grandmother and went to the house to get more containers of water. She returned five minutes later to find the toddler missing.

The Waigani Committal Court today ordered the case against 50-year-old Abol Peter to the National Court for trial.

There was enough evidence in place to commit the case up to trial despite Peter telling the court today that he was forced to sign the framed record of interview document with police upon his arrest.

He will appear for listing on June 11 in the National Court.

It is alleged Peter was involved with others in the abduction of a toddler from Gordon’s market on 3 March, 2016.

It has also led to the safe return of 18-year-old Dominic Cletus, alleged to have been abducted late Sunday evening.

Dominic was mistakenly linked to a robbery earlier that afternoon, where a bus 11 was held up at Koki bus stop.

He was last seen being forced into a bus 17 at Badili.

His abduction led to the extended family and the Koki community’s retaliation in stopping the buses on Monday.

But father Cletus Gomiai has women leaders Anna Punai, Vero Kai Mary Tokai, Hellen Hivitaro and the women network in Morata to thank.

The mentally challenged young man was mistakenly linked to a robbery at the Koki bus stop earlier that afternoon.

Dominic says he was threatened into a bus 17 with a bush knife at Badili by men, possibly of Western Highlands origin. 

He was taken to Morata 1, in the North-West electorate, where he was tortured and forced to reveal information. 

“They cut me on my calf muscles on both legs so I wouldn’t run away. Then they beat me with iron rods and knife. They burnt my eyeballs with cigarette butts,” said the young man.

Dominic Cletus is alleged to have been abducted between Badili Catholic Church and ITI at Badili in Port Moresby.

His abduction is believed to be linked to a robbery yesterday evening at Koki.

According to father Cletus Gomiai, a PMV bus was held up by drunk youths at Koki earlier that afternoon.

In retaliation, he claims a group of Western Highlanders abducted the boy, as per witness reports.

When Loop PNG arrived on since, it has been roughly 18 hours since the alleged incident.

The incident occurred after the closing of the NCD Christmas program at Murray Barracks on Friday night.

NCD metropolitan superintendent, Perou N'Dranou, told this newsroom that the matter was reported to police and the girls were recovered the same night by their family members.

N'Dranou also said as lucky as the girls were, they should not have been walking home by themselves at that time of the night; especially after 10pm.

He warns parents to take responsibility of their children’s whereabouts and activities to avoid this sort of incident in future.

According to the post, a young girl was travelling in a bus with six men when she sent a text to the brother who was allegedly a soldier from Goldie Barracks telling him she was in a bus with six other men but she was later raped and killed by the six men.

The brother after receiving the text allegedly waited with some soldiers a turn off section of the highway but when the bus arrived, the girl was nowhere to be found.

It was alleged that the soldiers shot all six men and disposed of their body.