Ten officers in custody

 TEN police officers, including a station commander, are in custody in connection with the alleged rape of a teenaged girl at her village in Wewak last December.

The officers have been charged with assault, wounding, rape and being in possession of firearms.   

Police operations chief Simon Kauba said police expected more arrests to be made over the incident that received publicity here and overseas.

Kauba, acting as Police Commissioner late last year, sent a team of detectives from Port Moresby to East Sepik to investigate the report of the attack on a girl by police officers.

“The 10 officers include a couple of service members, some ID 24 and some unsworn officers plus the police station commander,” Kauba said.

Wewak Police Station commander Sakawar Kasieng has been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the court hearing.

Kauba said he had sent the team to Wewak last December to investigate when the report first came out.

“We established evidence and last week the investigation team led by senior officer Donald Yamasombi went back to complete the investigation,” he said.

“I am appealing to potential witnesses to come forward to help the investigation team so we can have enough evidence to prosecute the officers,” Kauba said.

The alleged incident happened at Kawanumbo village, in East Sepik, when a team of police officers led by Kasieng raided the village looking for crime suspects.

Kasieng had appeared in court for mention last Friday in connection with an alleged assault on a women’s leader who had gone to the police station to report the attack on the girl at the village.