Alleged robbers wore police uniform stole two gold bars
SEVEN masked men dressed in police uniform traveling in a G-plated land cruiser had robbed two gold bars and hard cash from a mining company operating in Central Guadalcanal in the early hours of Wednesday.
Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau told reporters yesterday those men are still at large after escaping the robbery incident.
The happened at 3 am early Wednesday morning at the Winwin mining company located at Turarana.
“These men wore masks and used a G-plated white plain Toyota land cruiser,” Mangau said.
He added that two of the robbers wore the police sky blue uniform while the rest wore police t-shirts.
“One of them also wore a police baseball cap.”
Mangau also said those intruders were armed with pepper spray, a less-lethal weapon that only Police Response Team (PRT) can use and is stored in the police armory.
Mangau said they are also investigating a previous report that people have access to pepper spray as well as this current incident.
“The men entered the mining camp and introduced themselves as officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.”
He said the men told the company workers and securities that they were there to check on the company’s work permit, passports, and hidden high powered weapons.
“The men told the company workers and securities to assemble at one location while they move around the company premise to conduct their search.
“They ordered the camp managers to open the gold storage container and took two gold bars worth millions of dollars, $140,000 cash, and 15 mobile phones belonging to the company workers.”
Mangau said one gold bar weighs 3 kilograms while another gold bar that is yet to be properly cleaned weighs 1.7kilgrams.
“The workers and staff started to have a suspicion that those men are not the police by their conduct and they retaliated.
“A fight broke out between them and one of the intruders injured himself after one of the workers threw a knife at him.
“He sustained injuries above his left knee,” Mangau further added.
Mangau said intruders then escaped in the land cruiser.
The matter was then reported to the police who attended to the scene.
Police are now continuing with their investigation and also call on Turanana community to come forward to police with any information in relation to this matter.
He also urged other members of the community who sighted anyone with injury on their upper left knee to report that information to police to assist the police investigation.
Mangau said part of the investigation is focusing on whether those men are linked to the police, fake, or an organised crime.
“….so that is something our investigators are looking into to find out who is involved.”
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Newsroom, Honiara