Police shoot 2, capture 3 suspects

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
CENTRAL province police shot two men and captured three others who were allegedly involved in a recent Alotau BSP robbery of more than K200,000.
Provincial police commander Chief Superintendent Sibron Papoto told The National that one of the five suspects was the most wanted criminal in the Southern Region who was allegedly the mastermind behind the alleged bank robbery that happened on June 18.
Papoto said the suspect, whose name was withheld, was allegedly also involved in a string of other major robberies in the region including a robbery in Lae, Alotau police shooting case and a major robbery in Kupiano.
The pair shot are recovering in hospital.
“The initial robbery took place on June 18. We were advised by some policemen from Alotau so my rural commander and I organised some policemen from Central to go down to Margarima to keep watch of their getaway route,” Papoto said.
He said through their intelligence investigation, they found that the criminal’s exit point from Alotau going into Central would be through Margarima, Kupiano and then up to Hula into Port Moresby.
He said despite them not getting any logistic support from the police headquarters in Port Moresby, police officers managed to track 11 suspects down last Sunday (July 1) with a 10-seater Land Cruiser that was given to them by the Central administration to assist in the operation and two of their own police vehicles.
“They were taken in and processed at the 15-Mile police station and released eight of them because there was not enough evidence linking to them to the crime while three of them are in custody,” Papoto said.
He said after getting hold of the 11 suspects, they could not locate any money or exhibits on them.
“The safe especially, they took it into one of the locations in Central so it took them a week to break the safe and take the money.
“According to the suspects, the money value was K200,000 to K300,000 which we will have to confirm with BSP Alotau.
“Other exhibits included guns that were used in the robbery were sent back to Milne Bay,” Papoto said.
He said the suspects collaborated with police and that was how they found that the two alleged main suspects who were shot were in the city making plans to purchase a high-powered gun using the money that was stolen.
“Upon those information, police found out that the two suspects were in a hotel at Boroko so they went and apprehended them. But in the process, both of them retaliated and that was how they were shot and are now admitted at the Port Moresby General Hospital,” Papoto said.
He said there was a very strict police protection and tight security at the hospital after a confrontation on Saturday.
“So we appeal to public not to try some kind of illegal means to get them out of the hospital because there was a confrontation, but otherwise security is very tight at the moment and we have the support from the NCD command the metropolitan superintendent’s office that also provided some security with our own policemen from Central.”
“We did not recoup anything because of no firearms or money. It’s good that we hit on the prime suspects so they are giving us the information and even our sources.” In terms of firearms and exhibits, none was recouped. There will be quite a number of charges involved in this case, including armed robbery and several other charges. Those assisting will also have respective charges laid on them.”
Papoto said formal charges would be laid on all five of them once the two in the hospital had recovered from their injuries.
“We also now know the identity of those others involved so we will work to pick them up.”