Tropicair PNG aircraft hijacked, diverted - Pilots safe
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Tropicair PNG aircraft hijacked, diverted - Pilots safe
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/s...003402,00.html
Aussie pilots hijacked, handcuffed
Article from: AAP
From correspondents in Port Moresby
November 20, 2007
TWO Australian pilots have been rescued after gunmen hijacked their plane and stole a huge shipment of cash, leaving the men handcuffed to a tree in a Papua New Guinea swamp.
The pilots had been flying $A2 million to a bank in Western Province when two security guards pulled out their guns and forced them to divert to a old World War II airstrip near the capital, Port Moresby, yesterday.
Police were alerted when staff at Port Moresby's Jacksons Airport noticed the plane was not following its planned course, and the pilots set off a distress signal.
Officers launched an air search and located the plane.
When police reached the airstrip on Fishermens' Island, near the mouth of Port Moresby's harbour, they found the two Australians handcuffed to a tree and covered in mud, but otherwise safe.
The security guards and three other bandits who'd been waiting at the airstrip had fled with the cash.
Villagers told police they'd climbed into a dinghy and headed for the mainland. Police soon caught up with them, shooting dead one of the bandits and capturing two others.
The cash boxes were recovered. Police were today continuing to hunt for the other two bandits.
Charter company Tropicair Ltd would not discuss the incident today.
One of the pilots was reportedly back flying today, the other was on a scheduled leave break.
Police recovered a number of weapons including a pump-action shotgun and a semi-automatic pistol.
The two security guards who hijacked the plane had been assigned by Bank South Pacific to make sure the cash haul safely reached its destination.
Article from: AAP
From correspondents in Port Moresby
November 20, 2007
TWO Australian pilots have been rescued after gunmen hijacked their plane and stole a huge shipment of cash, leaving the men handcuffed to a tree in a Papua New Guinea swamp.
The pilots had been flying $A2 million to a bank in Western Province when two security guards pulled out their guns and forced them to divert to a old World War II airstrip near the capital, Port Moresby, yesterday.
Police were alerted when staff at Port Moresby's Jacksons Airport noticed the plane was not following its planned course, and the pilots set off a distress signal.
Officers launched an air search and located the plane.
When police reached the airstrip on Fishermens' Island, near the mouth of Port Moresby's harbour, they found the two Australians handcuffed to a tree and covered in mud, but otherwise safe.
The security guards and three other bandits who'd been waiting at the airstrip had fled with the cash.
Villagers told police they'd climbed into a dinghy and headed for the mainland. Police soon caught up with them, shooting dead one of the bandits and capturing two others.
The cash boxes were recovered. Police were today continuing to hunt for the other two bandits.
Charter company Tropicair Ltd would not discuss the incident today.
One of the pilots was reportedly back flying today, the other was on a scheduled leave break.
Police recovered a number of weapons including a pump-action shotgun and a semi-automatic pistol.
The two security guards who hijacked the plane had been assigned by Bank South Pacific to make sure the cash haul safely reached its destination.
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At least one of the "guards" was a Reserve Police Officer in the Royal PNG Constabulary. The bank in question will have many unsettling questions to answer, methinks. The RPNGC will have a similar number of questions to answer, in view of the many thefts of Police uniforms, over the years, which have been reported ad-nauseum but never followed-up by the cops... 
