ESCAPEE RECAPTURED IN KARKAR

By Martha LOUISE

A convicted murderer who escaped from Beon Correctional Institution has been recaptured on Karkar Island. Kiura Yarti, 52, from Koropak village, escaped on March 27, 2024, while serving a 32-year sentence for willful murder.

He fled under the pretense of harvesting food from the prison garden. Police say Yarti posed a threat to local communities and officers on the island.

Several attempts to capture him failed until fresh intelligence led police to his whereabouts. Madang Provincial Police Commander, Acting Superintendent Robert Baim, confirmed his arrest on January 31, 2025.

Police received information that Yarti had traveled from Bagbag Island to Karkar Island by boat. Officers used an unmarked vehicle to track him down. They stopped a PMV truck and found Yarti among the passengers.

He was arrested and taken into custody. On February 1, police transferred him to Jomba Police Station in Madang town. He will be sent back to Beon Correctional Institution to complete his sentence.