40 STUDENTS DETAINED FOR QUESTIONING OVER STUDENT DEATH
By Vonu LIBITINO, Port Moresby
Forty students from the Iarowari Secondary School in Central Province have been detained by Police following the death of William Garo, a Grade 9 student at Iarowari Secondary school, on the early hours on Friday (yesterday).
Of the 40 students, 25 are grade 9 students and 15 grade 11 students detained as suspects and questioned by Central Police Detectives.
According to Central Provincial Police Commander, Senior Inspector Joseph Salle, the cause and motive of the killing is yet to be established, pending investigations.
However, Mr Salle claims that William Garo’s death may be related to cult practices in the school where new members are initiated into a cult group, by receiving punches to the chest; a practice called ‘skelim bros, commonly practiced in schools.
PPC Sale, confirmed the incident, saying it occurred in the boy’s dormitory.
Mr Salle also revealed one of the suspects, a male student, believed to be the son a mobile squad officer, fled the school after the murder but Police caught up with him at Gordons in the National Capital District, and detained him.
The Central PPC said investigations are continuing and those responsible for the death, will be arrested and charged accordingly.
He commended the relatives of the deceased student for not taking the law into their own hands & for allowing the Police to do their job.
Meanwhile, Mr Loi Igo, the foster father of Late William Garo, said he is in a state of shock.
Speaking on FM100 Community Corner Show on Friday 8th November, Igo said he had recieved a call from the school’s principal, informing him that his son was taken to hospital.
It was only when he arrived at the hospital that Mr Loi found out his son had lost his life.
This incident was promptly reported to the police & at the time that Mr Loi spoke to FM100, he and several of his family members, were at the Port Moresby General Hospital, awaiting Police Forensic Team to conduct an autopsy on the deceased.
The distraught father of the deceased Loi, upon learning of the death took his son’s corpse to the school to plead with the students to come forward with any information on his murder.
In a video that has been widely circulated on social media, Mr Loi can be seen and heard pleading with the students to stop any such practices that may end up in death, as was the case with his son.
