By JAMES APA GUMUNO
YOUNG girl was locked up in a house for two weeks and raped several times by her abductor at Warakum in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, before she finally escaped. Police rushed to the house but the elderly man had fled.
Mt Hagen police commander Chief Supt Theodore Muriki said yesterday that they knew the identity of the man and it would only be a matter of time before they arrested him.
He said that the 16-year-old girl was in a state of shock.
She was waiting for a PMV at the Wabag bus stop to return to Pangia district in Southern Highlands on Oct 6 when the man forced her at knife point to his house at Warakum.
He threatened to kill her if she tried to call for help and then raped her every day.
Supt Muriki said the girl managed to break out of the house when the man was away on Sunday and reported her ordeal to the police.
He said similar incidents had happened in the past in the city, and often the victims were waiting at a bus stop.
He urged young girls to be careful when visiting Mt Hagen.
He also appealed to leaders in and around the city to help the police to reduce crime.
“Many have failed to discipline or educate their people to live a good life and have respect for others,” he said.
“The police cannot perform miracles – the people must help too.”