Following several hours of negotiations with the armed group, an Australian pilot and two local workers who were abducted at gunpoint in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea were subsequently released unharmed and in good condition, as confirmed by Papua New Guinea police commissioner David Manning in an official statement.
The incident unfolded when the helicopter pilot and passengers landed at a secluded telecommunications site near Mount Sisa in Hela province on Monday afternoon. It was at this point that an armed group forcibly took them away at gunpoint, Manning explained in his initial statement.
Subsequently, after extensive negotiations with the armed group, the captives were safely released without any physical harm, as announced by Manning in a subsequent statement issued shortly thereafter.
While the police commissioner did not specify whether lethal force was utilized during the rescue operation, authorities had been authorized to employ such measures against the kidnappers if necessary.
This abduction occurred in the same province where, almost exactly a year prior, an Australian archaeologist and two Papua New Guinean researchers were similarly seized and held captive for over a week until a ransom was paid for their release.
