Armed hold-up foiled, 3 nabbed

AN expatriate female was held up by four gunmen at about 10am on Saturday outside Adventure Park at 17-Mile, Port Moresby.
Police said suspects arrived in a stolen car, a Toyota Camry sedan, held up the woman and made off with her Honda CRV.
Coincidentally a policeman attached to NCD Zone Two Response Unit was parked several metres away at a market.
The officer was alerted by the public who witnessed the crime and he contacted the police operations centre.
The officer pursued the two vehicles towards the city while maintaining communications with the operations centre.
A police patrol car from the Airport Police then blocked off the Bomana turn-off just before 9-Mile Cemetery.
The thieves travelling in the two stolen cars were confronted at the Bomana junction.
The first stolen vehicle collided with the second vehicle trying to avoid the police roadblock.
The first vehicle went off the road into the fence of a school.
In this ensuing accident, a pedestrian was hit and hospitalised.
The thieves fired shots at police and one suspect armed with a gun escaped. Another three robbers were attacked and nabbed by the public.
Police said the three were known offenders and police had information on them relating to several car thefts and armed robberies.
Commander of NCD Central acting Assis Comm Anthony Wagambie Jr commended the lone police officer, who despite being unarmed, pursued the gang and maintained communications with the operations centre until the suspects were cornered and arrested.
He commended the police units who participated in the operation.
Wagambie said the suspects would have escaped if it was not for the public who assisted police by chasing and holding the suspects at the crash site.
He commended the public for assisting police.