Man accused of hijacking plane arrested in Kokopo

A MAN believed to have been involved in the hijacking of a Tropicair plane in West New Britian (WNB) on Nov 26 has been arrested by the police in East New Britian and is in custody in Kokopo.
East New Britain police commander Sr Insp Joseph Tabali said the Kokopo response unit and police reservists acted on information that led to the arrest of the suspect.
He said the suspect was wanted for a string of robberies in Kimbe.
Tabali said the man was also a suspect in the recent robbery at Yin Xin Trading at Kinabot stage 2 in Kokopo.
He said the suspect was from Kandrian. He was captured at the Vunapope compound on Sunday during a police raid.
“I have contacted the police in WNB and they had confirmed that he is one of the suspects identified in the plane hijacking last year,” he said.
Tabali said the suspect had committed serious offences in both provinces.
He also thanked the public for assisting police by providing information on the whereabouts of the suspect which led to his arrest.
West New Britain acting police commander Sr Insp Daniel Yangen commended ENB police for their effort.
It was alleged that on Nov 26, eight armed men approached the Tropicair plane as it was refueling in Gasmata in WNB, forcing the pilot to take off.
Tropicair confirmed that there were no passengers on board during the incident.
A spokesman from the airline said the robbers had gone through the plane’s cargo and baggage taking valuables before fleeing.