Robbers behead sunken dinghy survivors
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Robbers behead sunken dinghy survivors
PORT MORESBY: Five men who swam to safety after their dinghy sank
were killed by robbers on the beach near the the border of Gulf and Western.
Kerema police station commander Sr Insp Michael Pakyei
said two of the slain were beheaded after they resisted the robbers near Gama
village.
“The others were stabbed to death with knives after
they swam ashore. Their dinghy was capsized in rough waters," he added.
Details of the new break were reported by The National:
Survivors
robbed, killed
October 18, 2021The
NationalNational
By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
FIVE survivors of a sunken dinghy were allegedly robbed and killed on
the beach after swimming ashore near the border of Gulf and Western, Kerema
Police Station commander Snr Insp Michael Pakyei says.
Snr Insp Pakyei said two of the slain had been beheaded after allegedly
fighting off the suspects near Gama village.
“The rest were stabbed to death with knives after surviving drowning in the
rough seas,” he said.
Snr Insp Pakyei said the dinghy, which was overloaded with 80 bags of betel
nuts (each bag was to be sold for K250) capsized at Bell Point on Sept 11 while
enroute to Daru Island in Western.
“The passengers were heading to Daru after buying and loading betel nuts on the
dinghy at Kararuwa village in Kikori, Gulf,” he asid.
“However, they managed to swim ashore while floating the capsized dinghy to the
beach.”
Snr Insp Pakyei said the initial report he received on Sept 23 was that they
had drowned.
But the latest information his office received was that the passengers had
survived when their dinghy capsized and had swum ashore near Gama village.
“We suspect that Gama villagers killed them on the beach after robbing them of
K9,000,” he said.
We have contacted police in Western and they are on standby to work with us
(Gulf police) to investigate this suspected homicide case.
“Gama village is just across the border in Western.
“As soon as funding is available, we will conduct a joint investigation.”
He said that suspects must have confronted survivors and killed them on the
beach.
“The victims’ bags were left on the beach and their bodies, including the
headless victims, were buried in makeshift graves along the beach and the
dinghy and the outboard motor engine were covered with mud,” Snr Insp Pakyei
said.
Snr Insp Pakyei added that when they dug up the graves with the help of
neighbouring villagers, they found knife wounds on the bodies and were treating
it as a homicide case.
He said from initial reports, a betel nut buyer from Western Highlands who was
based in Daru had hired the dinghy to buy betel nuts.
“After buying the betel nuts, the betel nut buyer loaded them on the dinghy at
Kararuwa on Sept 9 and departed for Daru but the dinghy capsized in rough
seas,” Snr Insp Pakyei .
He said the Highlander was a regular buyer who plied his trade between Kikori
and Daru.
The betel nut buyer was accompanied by three Kararuwa villagers and the dingy
operator from Aumu village all in Kikori.
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