Stolen rifle from highway incident returned to police

ONE of the two firearms stolen from police during a car chase and attack along the Highlands Highway over the weekend has been returned to police.
Eastern Highlands provincial police commander Supt John Kale confirmed yesterday from Mt Hagen, were he was attending the provincial police commanders meeting that the pump-action shot gun was returned to the Mt Hagen station.
“However, the suspects who allegedly attacked and wounded Asaro highway traffic commander Sgt David Kilo and his men remain at large with the stolen pistol,” he
said.
Kale said identities of the suspects and the PMV buses suspected of transporting firearms that evaded police checks, which prompted the police chase,
were known.
Police investigators are working on the case.
“I strongly appeal to the suspects and their relatives to voluntarily surrender to police,”  he said.
Goroka mayor Koni Sari and president of Lower Bena local level government Jerika Haki condemned the actions of the Western Highlands PMV operators.
They said to attack policemen on duty was unacceptable and demonstrated signs of lawlessness.
“We call for justice to be done by those who are responsible for the attack,” Haki said.
Kilo and his officers set up a routine police road block at Daulo pass after receiving information on a PMV bus transporting firearms.
When the bus approached the road block, it avoided and went past prompting Kilo and his officers to gave
chase.
“The chase continued to Dumun in Chimbu when two other buses ahead gave way to the bus allegedly carrying the firearms and stopped to atack the police with knives.
Kilo sustained multiple stab wounds to his head and two other officers also suffered  serious injuries,” Kale said. He said the attackers stole a police pistol and a pump action.