RSIPF arrests 40-year-old man following death in Small Malaita

A 40-year-old man is in police custody after officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in Malaita Province arrested him at a village in Small Malaita following the death of another man on 4 May 2019.

It is alleged the accused attacked the deceased with a knife following an argument over a land dispute at Riverside Village on 4 May 2019.

Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Malaita Province, Superintendent Solomon Sisimia says, “My investigators travelled to Small Malaita over the weekend to attend to the suspicious death of an adult, who was allegedly attacked by a 40-year-old man with a knife following an argument over a land dispute at Riverside Village on Small Malaita on Saturday 4 May 2019.”

PPC Sisimia adds: “The accused was arrested at Riverside Village and is currently in police custody awaiting arrangements for him to appear before a magistrate on a remand application for a charge of murder.”

“I appeal to relatives of the deceased not to be involved in any retaliation but to assist police with investigation and allow the law to take its course.”

“My condolences to the immediate family members and relatives of the deceased during this time of bereavement following the loss of their loved one,” says PPC Sisimia.