More arrests including expatriates expected in Madang assault case

Madang Police are expected to make further arrests in relation to the assault incident that occurred last weekend at Yaho Supermarket.

Madang Provincial Police Commander, Acting Superintendent Robert Baim, said that while two main suspects are currently in custody, additional arrests are likely, including some expatriates believed to be involved.

“Today, my CID officers are reviewing CCTV footage that we obtained yesterday. as soon as we are done, we should make some more arrests based on that [footage],” Baim said.

Police acquired the surveillance footage through a search warrant issued for the supermarket premises.

Acting Superintendent Baim also confirmed that police interviewed the victim’s daughter, who was brought in from her father’s village.

“The daughter was brought in yesterday. Because of her age, we cannot release the information that we obtained from her. She’s under the age of 13 so all information obtained from her will be submitted to court directly,” Baim said.

The victim, Josephine Kadignam, was escorted to the hospital by police yesterday for a medical examination. However, the results have not yet been made public.

“Based on the assault that she received on Saturday, she was admitted to the Madang General Hospital as of last night. We have been constantly monitoring her all night yesterday until now and am yet to get an update on her condition from my officers,” the Madang PPC said.

NBC News attempts to obtain comments from medical staff at the Modilon General Hospital's emergency department earlier today, were unsuccessful.

However, from observations during yesterday’s interview, Josephine had sustained serious injuries to her face, hands, back, legs, and mouth.

The assault victim claimed she was repeatedly beaten with a mop stick, kicked, and punched during the ordeal, which took place inside the supermarket’s warehouse.

Her daughter reportedly suffered similar abuse during the incident.