Police capture five suspects

By PISAI GUMAR
LAE police have captured five suspects with five weapons, ammunition with a police uniform and drugs during a dawn raid at the Bumbu headwaters in West Taraka last Sunday.
Lae Met Supt Chief Insp Chris Kunyanban said the police intelligence unit acted upon reliable information to conduct the raid and were assisted by the sector response unit (SRU).
The weapons seized included a semi-automatic rifle and four homemade guns with 49 bullets, a torch and mobile phone accessories.
Chief Insp Kunyanban said the semi-automatic rifle was used in the shooting of Seeto Kui manager, a Filipino expatriate at Montoro Street as well as an SRU member who was shot at Kapiak Street last Dec 2.
The raid was conducted at 4am last Sunday when police followed the creek until they reached two makeshift structures in a garden, surrounded them, captured the suspects and recovered the guns and drugs.
The suspects were identified as Sineki Albert, 38, of Sosoniko village, Finschhafen; Abo Peter, 27, of Sikong and Kasanombe, Menyamya and Nawaeb; Kelly Tony Durio, 19, of Teptep, Rai Coast, Madang; Pendy Auiu of Baindoang, Nawaeb; and, Neill Bafi, 21, of Sosoniko in Finschhafen.
Chief Insp Kunyanban said the owner of the semi-automatic rifle was jailed at Buimo and the suspect that used the weapon to shoot both the police and Filipino expatriate was on the run, but known to police.
While the weapon was with the custodian (Sineki Albert), police busted and recovered the weapon.
“Police are still investigating how such high-powered weapon could have entered the country,” Chief Insp Kunyanban said.
He acknowledged police investigator Snr Sgt Manu Pulei and members of National Criminal Investigation Unit (NCIU) and SRU 102-B for their efforts.
He said the police had seized similar weapons, an assault rifle (AR-15) and a pump-action shot gun, in West Taraka in 2016.
The AR-15 was later identified as the stolen weapon from the Popondetta police.
“While enforcing the state of emergency, police will still conduct their usual duties to ensure a safer community during the covid-19 lockdown,” Kunyanban said.