Ballot box and ballot papers hijacked in Usino/ Bundi by-election

A ballot box plus a thousand plus ballot papers meant for three polling locations in the Bundi Local Level Government area were hijacked by armed men on Thursday.

Provincial Police Commander for Madang, Acting Superintendent Robert Baim confirmed the incident today.

The ballot box was marked for Safi Cannery on the border areas of Madang and Eastern Highlands provinces, however; an unknown person onboard the aircraft diverted the helicopter to a different location, where the armed men were waiting.

The armed men seized the ballot box and all ballot papers as soon as the polling team got dropped off by the helicopter and forced the presiding officer to sign all the ballot papers.

The only security personnel who was accompanying the polling team to the remote location was a community policing unit member from Walium.

Provincial Police Commander for Madang, Acting Superintendent Robert Baim said the CPU member was taken hostage by the armed gang together with the ballot box and marked papers.

Police only received information about Thursday's ordeal earlier today when they received a phone call from the polling team.

The polling officials told police they had walked into the Eastern Highlands side of the border where they found help, and eventually managed to make a phone call to Walium and advised election officials and police about the incident.

PPC Baim said immediate arrangement was made for the polling officials to be moved back to Walium as soon as possible.

"In fact, we also got the information this morning. At first, the information was sketchy, but now we got all the information, and we have communicated that to our ACP Northern Command and the PPC for Eastern Highlands.

"The polling team is secured. They are with police in Goroka, and we have already responded by sending a police unit to Goroka to rescue the team back to Madang, " PPC Baim said.

Baim also said they have a strategy in place and as soon as the polling team arrives, they will go through with all the candidates and upon their agreement they will send a new team to the area to conduct polling before the end of next week.

Acting Superintendent Baim stated, "The perpetrators are known at this time. From that area there are two known candidates but we have yet to verify whether the perpetrators are their supporters or other candidates. Our team is working on it".

He mentioned that the election trend is gradually changing, adding police is not new to the system.

PPC Baim is again discouraging all candidates from engaging in such practices as the law will be tough on them.

He said candidates who get caught out will be denied bail.