Maru urges communities to surrender suspects

YANGORU-Saussia MP Richard Maru is urging communities in West Yangoru, especially Boem Sara, Kamajan, Witipi, Nindipari, Belmo and Miamboro, to hand over to police more than 20 suspects who have been involved in hold-ups along the Sepik Highway.
“The entire East Sepik and our people in Yangoru are fed up of these rascals who continue to hold up our PMVs and buses at the Marinjan Bridge at Boem nearly every two days,” he said.
“They have targeted the travelling public, especially our vanilla traders, to steal from their hard- earned money.
“I have met families who have lost K50,000, some K80,000 in a single hold-up, which is totally unacceptable.”
Maru, who is also the Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, said the district would fund a three-month police operation to flush out the suspects and bring them to justice.
“Those who aid and abet these criminals, including their families and parents, will also be arrested for harbouring them.
“Enough is enough; our people cannot be subjected to this criminals and thugs everyday,’’ he said.
Maru said the district office had brought in police to hunt down and capture the suspects; an additional team of 10 policemen from Wewak would be stationed at Yangoru to assist in the special operation.
“We will also be running an operation to collect illegal guns in all our communities in the Yangoru-Saussia.
“There are also a number of murderers and rapists at large in the district so we are doing all we can to capture and bring them to justice. I want to assure the people that our focus is capturing all criminals.”