RSIPF investigates robbery of gold company in Central Guadalcanal

Officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force at Henderson Police Station in Guadalcanal Province are investigating an alleged robbery at the Winwin mining company operating in Central Guadalcanal on 9 December 2020.

It is alleged that seven men entered the Winwin mining company at Turarana in a G-plated white plain Toyota land cruiser. Two of them wore the police sky blue uniform while the other five wore police t- shirts. They also covered their faces with masks. One of the intruders, wearing the police sky blue uniform, also wore a police baseball cap.

Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau says, “The men entered the compound and introduced themselves as officers of the RSIPF checking on the company work permit and passports as well as hidden high powered weapons. They then advised company workers to assemble at one location inside the compound which they did.”

Commissioner Mangau adds, “While the workers were assembled at one location the intruders then started to move around the company premises and opening up storage containers. They asked for the camp manager and ordered him to go over to the gold storage container under close guard and was ordered to open the container. Upon opening the container they took one gold bar weighing 3 kilograms. They also took one other gold bar weighing 1.7 kilograms which is yet to be properly cleaned. They also took the sum of $140,000.00 cash and 15 mobile phones. The phones belonged to the company workers.”

“The company workers and staff begun to be suspicious of what occurred and a fight broke out. During the fight, one of the intruders was shot with a knife and he was said to be injured on the left leg above the knee area. The intruders then escaped.”
“The matter was reported to police and officers attended and conducted investigation into the matter. So far no arrest has been made and police are calling on people of Turarana community to come forward to police with any information that may have in relation to the matter,” says Commissioner Mangau.

He adds, “This is a very serious incident, and we’re allocating as much of our resources to the investigation into the matter.”

You can contact Henderson Police station on phone 36200 or 36201