Alphonse Silas "Alfie" henchmen to the Somares Arrested for MRO Robbery
A COMBINED police team investigating high profile crimes in the nation’s capital yesterday made a major breakthrough when they arrested a wanted suspect.
The arrested man Alphonse Sailas or Alfie as commonly known, who is alleged by high-profile robber William Kapris Nanua to have been the mastermind behind the 2007 Metals Refining Operations (MRO) armed robbery, was arrested over allegations of abduction and rape.
Kapris had also claimed during a police interview and which was recorded in a widely circulated tape and recently said in court that the man was among the group involved in the MRO robbery.
Last month, the arrested man was also referred to by senior National Court judge, Justice Bernard Sakora as the “mastermind’’ in the robbery that Kapris was part of in 2007 in which K78,000 cash and more than K2 million worth of gold bars were stolen.
Justice Sakora made the query in light of Kapris’ testimony alleging the man to be the person who went ahead to organise the crime and later arranging for him to meet with three named members of parliament who allegedly benefited from the spoils.
Justice Sakora had also called on police investigators during the sentencing of Kapris to “follow-up” on the leads given by Kapris in court and to bring those named for questioning and to face justice because it was not fair for Kapris to be the “sacrificial lamb”. Yesterday Sailas, 36, from East Sepik, was arrested by police officers from the combined NCD Criminal Investigations Division (CID), police headquarters intelligence and drugs squad at the car park of a government office where he works as a manager.
Police then drove him to Gerehu where they confiscated a pump action shotgun from his house while another weapon, a SIG Sauer six round pistol, was confiscated from his car. Later he was charged at Boroko police station with one count of abduction and two counts of rape. He is expected to appear at the Boroko District Court today for mention, pending remand at the Boroko police cells after bail was refused.
Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Turi, newly appointed second in charge of NCD CID, said investigations into the man arrested yesterday started late last month after a rape victim came forward and gave her statement to the investigation team. Police alleged the arrested manager picked up the victim after beating her relatives with wood and drove her to Boroko police station where he told her that he would lock her up as she was an associate of serial robber Kapris.
Police alleged that during this ordeal, the victim was crying, denied that she was an associate of Kapris and begged to be dropped off but the man drove her to the premises of his government office where he allegedly told her to remove her clothes and raped her.
He later drove her to Gerehu, promising to drop her off, but he instead dropped her at the back of a Catholic Church at Stage 6 where, it is alleged, he raped her again. He then drove her to her house and told her not tell anyone about what happened. Mr Turi warned relatives of the arrested man living in Port Moresby, especially Stage 6 of Gerehu, not to take the law into their own hands and harass victims or witnesses as the police would “come down very hard on them”.
The arrested man Alphonse Sailas or Alfie as commonly known, who is alleged by high-profile robber William Kapris Nanua to have been the mastermind behind the 2007 Metals Refining Operations (MRO) armed robbery, was arrested over allegations of abduction and rape.
Kapris had also claimed during a police interview and which was recorded in a widely circulated tape and recently said in court that the man was among the group involved in the MRO robbery.
Last month, the arrested man was also referred to by senior National Court judge, Justice Bernard Sakora as the “mastermind’’ in the robbery that Kapris was part of in 2007 in which K78,000 cash and more than K2 million worth of gold bars were stolen.
Justice Sakora made the query in light of Kapris’ testimony alleging the man to be the person who went ahead to organise the crime and later arranging for him to meet with three named members of parliament who allegedly benefited from the spoils.
Justice Sakora had also called on police investigators during the sentencing of Kapris to “follow-up” on the leads given by Kapris in court and to bring those named for questioning and to face justice because it was not fair for Kapris to be the “sacrificial lamb”. Yesterday Sailas, 36, from East Sepik, was arrested by police officers from the combined NCD Criminal Investigations Division (CID), police headquarters intelligence and drugs squad at the car park of a government office where he works as a manager.
Police then drove him to Gerehu where they confiscated a pump action shotgun from his house while another weapon, a SIG Sauer six round pistol, was confiscated from his car. Later he was charged at Boroko police station with one count of abduction and two counts of rape. He is expected to appear at the Boroko District Court today for mention, pending remand at the Boroko police cells after bail was refused.
Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Turi, newly appointed second in charge of NCD CID, said investigations into the man arrested yesterday started late last month after a rape victim came forward and gave her statement to the investigation team. Police alleged the arrested manager picked up the victim after beating her relatives with wood and drove her to Boroko police station where he told her that he would lock her up as she was an associate of serial robber Kapris.
Police alleged that during this ordeal, the victim was crying, denied that she was an associate of Kapris and begged to be dropped off but the man drove her to the premises of his government office where he allegedly told her to remove her clothes and raped her.
He later drove her to Gerehu, promising to drop her off, but he instead dropped her at the back of a Catholic Church at Stage 6 where, it is alleged, he raped her again. He then drove her to her house and told her not tell anyone about what happened. Mr Turi warned relatives of the arrested man living in Port Moresby, especially Stage 6 of Gerehu, not to take the law into their own hands and harass victims or witnesses as the police would “come down very hard on them”.
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