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| 13 held at gunpoint, robbed in Nipa | |
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By ANDREW ALPHONSE ABOUT 30 heavily-armed Nipa criminals in the Southern Highlands held up, robbed and kidnapped 13 people travelling into Tari on Friday night. The 13 from Komo district were travelling to Tari when they were held up at a roadblock at the Nipa section of the Okuk Highway between Mendi and Tari. The gang seized their vehicle before taking the hostages captive for eight hours. The hostages managed to escape in the early hours of Saturday morning. The gang robbed them of K11,750 in cash and valuables while the vehicle, believed to be an ambulance, is still in the possession of the gang. Driver Peter Peabe, who managed to escape from captivity, arrived back in Mendi and reported the matter to Mendi police. Mr Peabe told The National on Saturday morning that about six Komo councillors and five others were travelling that night when they were held up by the gang at Nipa at about 9:30pm. He said the gang hit him three times in the back with their gun butts and ordered him out of the vehicle. He said it was raining heavily at the time and the criminals ordered everybody out onto the road. They then assaulted them before robbing them. He said they were taken to a house and held hostage, but they managed to escape at about 4:30am on Saturday. Seven of them escaped to Tari while six returned to Mendi to report the matter to police. Mr Peabe said the gang was heavily armed with two high-powered M16 rifles, two pump action guns, a 32-round magnum pistol and two single-shot weapons. Komo local level government council executive officer Steward Paragua, who was one of the victims, said the councillors lost all their cash and receipts of their nomination fees during the ordeal. Mr Paragua also lost a digital camera, laptop computer, K3,400 in cash and a K20,000 provincial government cheque among other belongings. |
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