Drunk guards beat up youths

THREE youths were allegedly beaten by drunken Bank South Pacific security personnel on Saturday evening near Waigani Drive, in the nation’s capital.
The youths suffered serious injuries to their bodies.
Two of the victims were brothers from Enga.
The elder, Kevin Ben who could not move and lay on his hospital bed at the St John’s Hospital, said the BSP security guards, believed to be probationary police officers accused him and his younger brother Daniel, and another youth from Chimbu of rape and took them to the BSP Commercial Centre at Gordon where they were locked in a room and assaulted by eight security guards.
He said the incident started from a domestic issue that he and his brother were not a party to.
Ben said he was returning from Gerehu in a PMV bus on Saturday afternoon.
On the bus, a couple was arguing when, on reaching the Waigani bus stop, near the bemobile head office, the argument between the couple heated up and the man punched the woman on the face.
He said the man then turned and punched him as he was about to exit the PMV bus.
Ben said a Chimbu youth, who was a passenger, stood in the way to stop the man.
He said he tried to beat the man but the man fled with his wife to a PMV bus and left.
Ben said an hour later a blue 10-seater LandCruiser vehicle bearing the registration CAU 756, approached and parked near the bus stop, where he and other people were waiting to catch a PMV.
Ben said eight men came out of the vehicle, three of whom were in police uniform and the others were in civilian clothes.
He said two were armed with pistols.
He said the couple who had fought earlier jumped out of the vehicle and pointed at him and the other man from Chimbu and mumbled something to the police officials.
He claimed the policemen, who looked drunk, chased everyone at the bus stop away then started chasing after him.
Ben said the armed policemen fired two shots at him as he ran for his life.
He said he could not go on as he was exhausted and surrendered to the BSP security officers.
Ben said despite his surrender, four of the officers beat him with iron bars, fist and boots.
He claimed he was dragged to the concrete path way leading to the bank and was continuously beaten by the officers.
Ben said his younger brother saw the men beating him up and tried to stop them but the guards turned on his brother and assaulted him.
He said the other Chimbu youth was beaten by the other four bank guards.
Ben said a second white LandCruiser, vehicle bearing the registration 205, drove to the scene with additional men who joined in beating them.
He claimed that they were later forced into one vehicle and taken to BSP commercial centre at Gordon, dragged into a room and beaten up again.
Ben said they were stripped, sprayed with water and later whipped with a hose-pipe.
He said they were kept in the room from 6pm to 10pm, and repeatedly beaten before they were taken to Hohola police station and locked up.
An uncle of the boys and ex-policeman, Peter Nupi, said the guards had almost killed the youths, adding those involved should be charged.
He called on the police commissioner and the BSP management to in­vestigate those involved and prosecute them.