Major progress in the assault and abuse case in Madang involving a mother and her daughter, of which a video of the incident went viral on social media over the weekend.
Police in Madang today arrested the culprits responsible for the assault of the two females in a shop (Yaho Supermarket) in Madang town.
The video of the assault was uploaded on social media by a bystander. It was through this video that police were alerted and took action, calling on eyewitnesses to come forward and give information, leading to the arrest of three man, who are allegedly employees of that supermarket.
According to a short police statement released this afternoon to update on the investigation, the mother and daughter have been identified and are assisting police with their investigation.
The mother, who comes from Mugil village, Sumgilbar Local Level Government (LLG) in the Sumkar District of Madang province has been interviewed by police while the daughter will be brought in soon for police formalities.
The victims are expected to file a formal complaint at the police station regarding the incident, and then police will proceed with the case.
The Provincial Police Commander (PPC), Robert Baim has thanked the public for their assistance, particularly those who shared information and tagged police in the social media posts.
“Your engagement has directly contributed to progress in this investigation,” he said.
Meanwhile, what led up to the men assaulting the mother and daughter in the supermarket is yet to be established. This now pending the investigation to establish what had happened.
A full briefing on the incident will be provided soon through official media channels.