Police: Woman raped in Rabaul

 A WOMAN accompanying her boyfriend to his village was held up and raped by a group of men at Malaguna village in Rabaul, East New Britain, according to police.

Provincial police commander Supt Anthony Wagambie Jr said the woman was going with her boyfriend to his village at Malaguna to spend the night. 

But they were held up by men from a nearby village. The woman was taken away and raped by between 16 to 18 men. They only released her after daybreak. She reported the matter to police.

Wagambie said the men had been identified and the police station commander in Rabaul was waiting for the community leaders to bring them.

“This is the normal way of doing things in the province that when suspects are identified, local leaders take the responsibility of bringing them to police,’’ he said.

“I am waiting for this to happen. I will not hesitate to use whatever legal means possible to bring them in if they do not cooperate with their leaders.”

He said gang rape was becoming common.

“There has been an increase in incidents of gang rape especially in the Rabaul area, with a previous case at Tavui.

“The victims are not from the Rabaul area but from other parts of East New Britain.

“In both cases, the unsuspecting female had gone to the Rabaul area with friends and boyfriend who they trusted and were set on by youths.”

Wagambie called on leaders in the Rabaul area to give their support to police to conduct awareness on this sort of behaviour.

He also asked them to assist police in the campaign against the sale and use of marijuana and homebrew.