An Australian helicopter pilot and two local contractors kidnapped at gunpoint in Papua New Guinea’s restive highlands escaped unharmed Monday, police and an aviation company spokesman said.
The trio were captured by a group of men on Monday afternoon near Mount Sisa, in central Hela Province, while working at a remote telecommunications tower.
After being “detained for several hours by armed locals”, a spokesman for the pilot’s employer Hevilift Aviation said, the three were now “safe”.
Just before being taken, the Australian pilot had used a satellite phone to contact his employers, who in turn contacted the Papua New Guinea and Australian authorities.
About five hours later, with police and the army closing in on the area, the captors dropped their ransom demands and fled into the bush, the company said.
Left alone, the pilot and two local telecom technicians sub-contacted by Digicel were able to rush back to the same Bell 407 helicopter they arrived on and fly to freedom.
Police Commissioner David Manning said “the abductors had been warned that lethal force would be employed in order to free the captives”.
“Security forces have now entered the direct apprehension phase of the operation in which the abductors are being tracked so they can face justice,” he added.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it was pleased by the “release” and added diplomats were providing “consular assistance to the Australian and his family”.
“We thank the Papua New Guinea Government and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary for their assistance,” a spokesperson said.
Papua New Guinea’s highlands have in recent years been hit by a spate of kidnappings and tribal violence that has killed hundreds.
Last week more than 50 bodies were found by the side of a road — the result of clashes between rival clans.
In 2023, a New Zealand archaeologist and two others were taken hostage at gunpoint at a location near this most recent incident.
They were released — traumatised but seemingly physically unharmed — after a tense week of negotiations with kidnappers who initially demanded a ransom of $1 million, an enormous sum in one of the Pacific’s poorest nations.
The government has come under pressure to boost security resources in the area and tackle growing lawlessness.
Prime Minister James Marape earlier told AFP the government would deal with the abductors harshly if needed.
“I want to inform all that crime does not pay, it ultimately leads to the arrest or deaths of criminals.”
