Driver escapes harm

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
THE driver of a vehicle is lucky to have escaped harm after armed men attempted to rob him of his vehicle while he was doing a school pickup at the St Charles Lwanga Secondary School at Gerehu Stage Two yesterday between 1pm and 2pm.
According to the driver, Henry Pup, from Nebilyer, Western Highlands, he had stopped outside the school gate to pick up two children belonging to a relative when armed men in a maroon five-door land cruiser cut in.
“A grey Mark II vehicle drove past us, one of the students I had gone to pick up was already in the vehicle,” Pup said.
“When the vehicle (land cruiser) stopped, I saw four men came out – all armed.
“One of them armed with what looked like a rifle stood in front of the vehicle, two others armed with homemade pistols took positions on my side of the car and at the passenger side.
“They demanded I get out of the vehicle, but I couldn’t leave the girl who I had picked up and we were waiting for her brother, I revved the engine, when the two, armed with a pistol saw I would not get out of the vehicle, they picked up rocks on the side of the road and broke the back windows,” he said.
“They broke the windows and the girl was screaming at the back, that’s when the students realised what was happening and started throwing stones at the parked car outside their gate.”
According to a video posted on Facebook, the five-door was out of the video shot, but there was a Mark II parked outside the gate and four man were seen running into the vehicle and the vehicle took off.
The maroon five-door was seen driving after the Mark II which has taken off. Pup said he followed the Mark II to Gerehu Stage six where he lost the vehicle.
Police were told of the incident and are now investigating.
Gerehu Police Station commander Insp Hanson Tokally has yet to be briefed on the incident.
However, police officers from the station and under the zone two command were informed of the attempted holdup and were searching for the suspected vehicle and the suspects.