Manhunt for Baker remnants begins

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Manhunt for Baker remnants begins

PORT MORESBY: Papua New Guinea (PNG) police scored a major success for the New Year by bringing down the country’s most wanted notorious criminal Tommy Maeva Baker on Thursday (Dec 30, 2021).

But, the law and order security threat in Milne Bay’s Alotau remains with Baker Gang remnants taking retaliatory measures – going on a lawlessness rampage of ambushing and attacking policemen and robbing law-abiding communities.

Baker had been on the run for eight years and his gang is now taken over by his remaining top henchman Eugene Pakalasi.

For the police, the manhunt for Baker Gang remnants is only just beginning.

Details of the news outbreak were published by The National:

Manhunt for Baker remnants

January 4, 2022The NationalMain Stories

David Manning

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
REMNANTS of the Tommy Maeva Baker Gang members have “declared war” with the police, going on a lawlessness rampage in Milne Bay’s Alotau.
Commandeered by Baker’s “successor” Eugene Pakalasi, they engaged in sporadic shootouts with the police yesterday – a policeman was shot and injured in an ambush, a Chinese man was injured and his shop robbed, and a house razed in the aftermath of Baker’s death.
Pakalasi is the remaining Baker henchman.
Three others, Michael “Mekere” Yawi, Johnny Oboko and Chris Gill, were all killed last year.
Pakalasi, married with two children, is from Alotau’s Maiwara village.
Police Commissioner David Manning told The National that he was aware of the attacks in Alotau.

The dismantled shotgun and buckshots recovered at the scene of the shoot-out at Top Goilanai, Milne Bay, yesterday morning.

“The attacks were launched by remnants of the Baker Gang; we are working to establish the facts of the new leaders of the gang and we have been responding to the reported incidents,” he said.
“The remnants of the gang are still a threat and we are working to ensure normalcy is restored in the province.
“The attacks are believed to be due to the death of Baker who was killed in a shoot-out with police at the Viole culvert in Kwaini settlement between 9.40pm and 10.55pm on Thursday.
“Since the shooting of Baker, policemen were ambushed at Weoli on Friday (New Year’s Eve) between 8pm and 9pm.
“A policeman was shot and injured and a house was razed.”
Manning said at about 4am yesterday, a Chinese man was assaulted and his shop was robbed of items by the gang’s remnants.
Police had another confrontation with the gang at Top Goilanai before the gangsters made a hasty retreat. Shots were exchanged at Top Goilanai before police managed to push their way into the property to rescue the Chinese man. The Chinese man was rushed to the hospital, nursing injuries to his head and body.
Pakalasi is believed to have been involved in the April 29 attack on the Water police, petrol-bombing the barracks that were razed.
He was also seen during the charge against police in a six-hour gunfight.
According to the Baker Gang hierarchy, Pakalasi was their third-ranked “lieutenant”.

Baker’s shooting probe starts

January 4, 2022The NationalMain Stories

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
POLICE have started internal investigations into the shooting of wanted criminal Tommy Maeva Baker on Thursday night, Police Commissioner David Manning says.
“Any shooting involving the use of lethal force by policemen is subject to investigations, similarly to any other shooting incident,” he said.
Manning told The National that the shooting of Baker, 37, from Ginada village, Rabaraba, Milne Bay, occurred between 9.40pm and 10.55pm on Thursday.
“The shoot-out between police and the Baker gang occurred at the Kwaini bridge wet crossing near Alotau,” he said.
“Police intelligence revealed that Baker was amassing weapons for an attack on Alotau police.
“Two of his accomplices fled the shoot-out scene, but we know their identity and expect to capture them soon.”
Manning said the purpose of the investigation was to ascertain the full facts on the moments leading up to, during and after the shooting.
“This, will of course, be subject to further investigations if and when it is required by law,” he said.
“Numerous futile attempts were made by police to secure a peaceful resolution and surrender of Baker.
“In fact, I even made an appeal for his surrender.
“However, he failed to accept the many offers we made.
“Many hardened criminals often meet the same fate when they do not surrender to police.
“We will continue to ensure our communities are safe and secure, and it is imperative that we swiftly arrest and lock up individuals and groups who prey on the innocent defenceless law-abiding citizens as well as vulnerable groups in our communities.
“Essentially, if the situation allows, these individuals must be brought to face justice in court.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims of criminals, as well as the committed and dedicated members of the police force.”
Since 2018, Baker, of Gulf and Milne Bay, and his second-in-command, Michael Yawi alias Mekere, from East Sepik and Milne Bay, actively led a criminal gang within Alotau and Milne Bay.
They staged a string of armed robberies, sea piracy, murders and were responsible for the burning of the police barracks in Alotau and various other crimes up until the time of their deaths.
Notable crimes committed by these two ring leaders included the murder of Const Pisai of the Milne Bay police, the murder of Milne Bay government legal officer, the Alotau town seizure between 2018-2021 and the break-ins and lootings of Alotau township business houses and shopping centres.
Baker, Mekere and their men were on the run since 2018 despite the first incident in which a number of their gang members were shot dead and high-powered firearms recovered in 2018 and 2019 in Waima. Baker continued to be on the run when Mekere was shot and killed by police with six other gang members in Wakwapu in August.

Great success for police

January 4, 2022The NationalEditorial

THE idiom ‘Crime does not pay’ holds so true for Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s most notorious criminal Tommy Maeva Baker.
No one in his or her right mind should try to idolise or try to garner sympathy for him nor try to paint him as a “law-abiding hero”.
After some eight years of running amok, robbing and killing, Baker was brought down by the police on Thursday – a good start for the police for 2022.
Baker and his gang have been on the run since 2013.
They are accused of killing five people (including three police officers), conducting a string of armed robberies, and burning down two police barracks and a magistrate’s house in Alotau, Milne Bay’s capital.
Baker has escaped police custody twice in 2016 (Alotau) and 2018 (Port Moresby).
Villages, communities and Alotau town became victims of Baker and his gangs rampaging through to getting innocent people killed.
Already comparisons are being made to notorious William Nanua Kapris who was shot and killed by police in 2013, ending a nearly three-month manhunt.
This was around the same time Baker and his gang started evading police.
Kapris’ hit started around 2008 that involved robbing Bank South Pacific branches in Gulf and Madang and making off with more than K2.4 million; escaping from prison allegedly with support from authorities until he was shot dead.
Kapris had a reward placed on his recapture and so was Baker.
Kapris robbed banks while Baker took his loot from supermarkets.
In the case of Baker, whenever he laid low, his second in command, Michael “Mekere” Yawi, took charge and continued the onslaught that progressively led to his family home razed, sparking a shoot-out between the Baker gang and police in Alotau in 2019.
Last year, a 60-day manhunt, costing the police about K2 million, was launched and about 40 suspects were arrested, including Baker’s mother, aunt and uncle.
In August, police working on intelligence reports moved into the mountains of Alotau, chasing the gang from Rabaraba to Sirisiri and onto Pem before moving inland tracking the gang.
The officers crossed the sea, swam across rivers and climbed mountains for four days until they came upon the gang.
The camp was located between Wakwapu and Gurupwaia villages on a plateau on a mountain with a steep climb up and down from the gang’s camp.
Blocking off all escape routes, police surrounded the gang, the gang of 14 tried to fight their way out.
The sound of gunfire interrupted the tranquility of Alotau mountains as police and the gang fought.
Police moved in, gaining the upper hand, pushing the gang back into their makeshift home before the shooting stopped.
Officers checked on gang members who they thought were injured, instead they found all seven dead.
Yawi was among the seven armed thugs shot dead in a gunfight with police.
Mekere, who was the gangster’s “operations commander”, had been on the police wanted list for the murder of a police constable in 2016 and lawyer Michael Efi in 2019.
It was a great success for police in ending Baker’s reign and that of his second in command and some gang members.
All this now comes to an end now that he is dead.
But rather than celebrate his death, a close tag should be on the next in command.