Suspects

Assistant Commissioner of Police for Northern Command, Peter Guinness, said police and the provincial administration hosted two separate meetings yesterday with the ethnic groups involved.

The ethnic clash at Nawaeb Block reportedly started early this week in relation to an armed holdup.

During the confrontation, ACP Guinness said both sides suffered a death each.

“An electrical engineer, from Simbu, was killed while a Southern Highlands Grade 12 student was also killed. Houses and vehicles were burnt as well.

Provincial Police Commander Superintendent David Seine Jr said one of the suspects was arrested on the same day, while the other who is alleged to be the main suspect was on the run until his apprehension by the police officers from Walium. 

PPC Seine Jr said according to a police brief, it was alleged that the deceased identified as Newman James adult male from Waput village was at Naru to organise a soccer tournament when he was stabbed to death. 

Western Highlands Provincial Police Commander, Jacob Kamiak, said the three had recently broken into a Chinese shop next to the Best Buy Supermarket, held up the shop owner, stole one laptop, two mobile phones worth over K2,000 and walked out with K24,000 cash.

The suspects were later apprehended by the property’s landlord and his boys.

PPC Kamiak said the suspects were beaten badly then handed over to police.

The PPC said the three will be formally arrested and charged after medical examination and treatment.

The suspects had conducted an armed robbery in a shop at Karkar Island and had fled by boat to Sarang village, located along the North Coast Road of Madang.

Talidig Police with the assistance of Lae based MS 13 apprehended three prime suspects of the eight who were armed with a factory made shotgun and home-made shotgun.

The suspects, after realising that they had nowhere to run, surrendered to a Foursquare Church pastor.

The suspects had been involved in an armed robbery of an Asian shop owner at Downtown Lae around 9am yesterday (April 2).

The suspects were intercepted by a traffic police unit when they tried to escape in a Sedan.

The unit was in the area and was alerted by gun shots fired by the suspects, who wounded the Chinese national and a security guard.

Lae metropolitan superintendent, Commander Anthony Wagambie Junior, said the traffic police promptly contacted all units, who then blocked off possible escape routes.

The first was a suspect involved in a murder at Vee Street, Top Town earlier this year.

CID Lae has been looking for him for some time as he had gone into hiding.

With the help of community residents on information, police were able to locate him East Taraka on Thursday night around 10 pm.

The raid and apprehension of the suspect was a joint effort between the Omili police, SRU 103 and the CID.

Two other suspects who had escaped from Buimo Correctional Services were also apprehended by police.

According to initial police reports, 5 men were involved of which three were caught and two are still on the run.

The 10 year old girl, mix parentage of Goroka, Morobe and Kerema was said to have gone missing around 4pm yesterday afternoon of which the community found her this morning.

NCD Metropolitan police commander, Ben Turi said that police were tipped off and Boroko police units were the first to arrive on scene to intervene.

New Ireland Provincial Police Commander, John Mindi, said all six were arrested and charged with attempt to cause genocide.

They appeared in court on Monday for their first mention.

Last month, a bomb was found somewhere near the Peter ToRot Conference Centre, where the counting of Kavieng Open and New Ireland Regional was taking place.

Metropolitan Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jr said the suspects were part of a gang that held up staff of a mobile phone company outside ANZ Bank, Market Branch.

“Good investigative work by Lae CID led to one of the suspects being intercepted whilst travelling on a vehicle along 7th Street,” Wagambie Jr said.  

“He led police to the next suspect.”

Wagambie Jr said the second suspect is currently out on Court bail for another armed robbery case.

“When he was taken to his residence for a search, the magazines of a pistol which was stolen were found.