Police recover portion of K6.3m loot in robbery

Main Stories, National
Source:

The National, Tuesday October 22nd, 2013

 By BENNY GETENG

POLICE have confirmed that K845,900 has been recovered from the recent K6.3 million heist in Port Moresby and five men arrested.

Assistant Commissioner for Police Jim Andrews, the National Capital District-Central commander, said the five suspects included a security company radio operator, his wife and a cousin, a student whose house in East Boroko was used by the robbers to share the loot, and a man who was arrested at a roadblock in Lae.

Police have named all of them.

One man was arrested last Wednesday at a roadblock off the Madang Highway set up by police after a tip-off that the man was travelling in a PMV bus headed for Madang. 

Police recovered K30,000 from him. He led police to Madang where his wife had K100,000. They all then proceeded back to Lae.

Last Thursday, a source told police detectives that another suspect was travelling along the Hiritano Highway. Police recovered K127,000 from him.

He then led police to a village in Central where another suspect and his wife were arrested. 

Police were taken to a house in Gerehu Stage Two where they recovered K459,200.

On Sunday, police raided a house in Tokarara, Port Moresby after a tip off and recovered K54,700 and a pistol that was used in the heist.

Andrews said police were still looking for the son of a former politician whose vehicle was used in the heist.

He has urged people to report any sightings of people carrying large sums of money.

Police know the identities of the people still at large and have advised them to surrender to police.

NCD metropolitan commander Supt Andy Bawa has commended the efforts of police detectives who made the arrests and recovered some of the money.