12 arrested for alleged ballot box hijacking in Madang

A woman is among 12 people currently in police custody in Madang for allegedly hijacking a ballot box and ballot papers intended for the Usino-Bundi by-election.

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

He said the suspects were apprehended on Saturday and transported to Madang, where they are now detained at the Jomba Police cells awaiting formal charges.

According to PPC Baim, the group will be denied bail due to the seriousness of the incident, which disrupted polling at three locations in the Bundi Local Level Government area last Thursday.

Baim also dismissed a report published today in one of the daily newspapers alleging that a woman had hijacked a helicopter transporting the polling team to the remote area.