Police: 21 suspects arrested following alleged murder in Guadalcanal

Officers of the Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) at Henderson and Marau Police Station have arrested 21 suspects following the alleged murder of an adult male person at Malaisu Village in south Guadalcanal on 19 March 2020.

According to Sergeant Nester Koloni, who is leading the investigation into the incident, the first group of nine suspects were transported to Honiara on Saturday 21March 2020 and a further 12 suspects were transported to Honiara on Sunday 22March 2020.

Information received by police say that prior to the incident, the group of suspects and the deceased all attended a church program at Sughu Anchorage, in the Talise Ward.

After the church program, the suspects allegedly approached the deceased about a sorcery matter which occurred recently where a man had died from their village.

It is alleged that the suspects dragged the deceased to Malaisu Village where they attacked him resulting in severe multiple wounds that allegedly caused the death of the deceased. The deceased and another victim were taken to Avuavu Clinic for medical treatment where the deceased died.

Provincial Police Commander Guadalcanal Province (PPC) Chief Superintendent Ishmael Vunagi says, “The 21 suspects have been arrested following the alleged murder incident and have been placed at the Central Police Station watch house in Honiara awaiting further questioning by the Henderson Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the National Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) from the Rove Police Headquarters in Honiara.”

“My condolence to the family and relatives of the deceased as they mourn the loss one of their members.”  

“I call on people in the communities of Koloula, Talise and Malaisu in South Guadalcanal to refrain from further taking the law in to your own hands but allow the police to investigate this alleged incident. I also call on whoever has any information about the incident to come forward and report it to police at Henderson and Marau Police Station.” says PPC Vunagi.