Murder suspects surrender

THREE men who allegedly murdered their grandmother have surrendered to the police after being on the run for more than a month in Eastern Highlands’ Goroka.
The suspects, in their 20s, were brought to the police by Night Owl Security Services managing-director Unggai-Bena and community leader Winchlee Oibotee.
They were handed over to the homicide officer Joe Mangre and the officer in-charge of Criminal Investigation Division (CID) David Lingen in the Goroka police station last Tuesday.
“I successfully talked to the suspects with their parents and brought them in to the police station.
“I persuaded the suspects to come out from where they were hiding and to surrender to the police,” he said.
Oibotee said that the suspects were then fully drunk at the Mono village in Kama outside of Goroka town on Jan 30 when they planned and murdered their 78-year-old grandmother, Marion Bire.
“I arrived at the village after receiving numerous calls about what had happened and I went to the village and retrieved the body to the funeral home,” he said.
A police report was lodged later.
“I requested full cooperation from the police to hunt down the suspects whether dead or alive and I was willing to fund for a full scale police operation to get the suspects behind bars.”
Officer-in-charge of CID David Lingen said the reason for committing the murder was vague at the moment.
“If the deaths of the grandma was sorcery related, it would be a superstitious belief without any proof.”