Porgera Police turning into gangs to rob and steal

A businessman is reportedly being tormented by a few deranged members of the Porgera police force.

Furthermore, The Enga Provincial Police Commander has admitted to their being some shady operations adding that internal investigations are currently ongoing to root out officers who are displaying conduct that is unbecoming.

According to Rimbink Minig a private businessman who buys gold from Porgera Gold Mine, police officers tasked with providing security at the mine are instead robbing businessmen and workers who correspond with the mine’s operations.

During a brief interview with Mr Minig who flew from Porgera to Port Moresby to seek assistance on this matter, the disgruntled gold buyer told the  media that he was concerned that Porgera police force was turning into a thieves guild.

He said that although there were many instances of such police malcontent, it was the removal of K9000 from the possession of his employees in October and the impounding of a brand new vehicle for no particular reason more recently that has led to his search for help from higher authorities.

Mr Minig said that on October 16 this year at 9pm, three of his employees transporting gold and cash attained from business transactions with the mine were stopped and asked for trade licenses. When they produced an IPA certified license, they were told by the police that these were not original licenses and were stripped of K10,000 worth of gold and cash.

When the Provincial Police Commander of Enga George Kakas was asked about the legitimacy of his officer’s actions, he said that he was not aware of such acts and that he had given no such order for there to be random roadblocks.

“I am looking into the matter seriously and will find out the facts.

“If there are any discrepancies in police conduct, the officers responsible will be dealt with hastily,” said the PPC.

More recently, Mr Minig’s newly bought Toyota Land Cruiser was impounded after police in Porgera stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver for what they claimed was a case of grand-theft-auto.

“They ignored my driver when he told them that this was a vehicle owned by me and arrested and held him in prison only releasing him after I was forced to pay a ridiculous sum of K5000 for bail,” said Mr Minig.

Mr Minig is in Port Moresby to get the original financial papers proving that he bought the vehicle so that he can return and remove his car from police custody.

Furthermore, Mr Minig is only one of many businessmen and mine workers working in the Porgera site who go about their business fully aware that the very people who are guarding them could at any time turn hostile. ONE PNG/Pos Courier