Mother, baby missing

By PETER ESOP WARI
HELA police are searching for a mother and baby who were dragged into the bushes by armed robbers when a bus was held up at Ambua Gap last weekend.
Hela provincial police commander Supt Jimmy Onopia told The National that passengers of a 25-seater bus travelling from Tari to Hagen were robbed before the woman and baby were taken away.
Onopia said the driver of the bus, realising that there was a road block on the national highway, reversed the vehicle some metres and as he swerved it to turn it around, the bus rolled.
He said several of the passengers were injured and they were transported to Tari Hospital for medical attention.
But the mother and the baby are still missing.
“Straight after the incident, police were dispatched to the area but the robbers fled,” Onopia said.
“But the woman and her baby could not be found. We are still looking for the suspects.”
Onopia said the identity of the mother and the baby were not known.
He said the robbers who struck at the Ambua Gap also robbed a Dauli Teachers’ College bus loaded with rations and equipment for the college while the principal and his staff watched helplessly.
He said the bus was travelling from Mt Hagen and the teachers from Chimbu and Eastern Highlands were held at gunpoint and their belongings ransacked.
Police in Hela could not respond quickly in such situations and emergencies because they lacked vehicles and fuel, which has hindered operations, Onopia said.
“We only have five donated vehicles left and another five are not in operation.”
The police force in Hela has not been given fuel since November last year but Oil Search Ltd has helped them by supplying 1,500 litres of fuel every month, Onopia said.