A man was found dead in the Porgera mine pit on Monday night.
The deceased has been identified as Wasato Kaipas, aged 26 years from Titip village, in the Kandep district.
It is alleged that the deceased was an illegal miner who must have fallen about 100 meters from a stockpile while trying to escape authorities.
The joint forces operations in the Porgera Valley and mine site are into their third and final phase.
On Monday, the Police CID and investigators from APD unit found the corpse of a man around 8pm and raised the alarm. The corpse was removed and brought to the Mine’s medical centre and police were called in that night around 10pm.
The body is now at the Paiam Hospital morgue, awaiting a post-mortem to determine the cause of death. Controller Chief Superintendent, Norman Kambo, appealed to relatives of the deceased to let police investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
He also warned those who continue to enter the mine pit illegally to steal gold, that anyone caught will be arrested and charged.
In the meantime, Controller Chief Superintendent Norman Kambo has issued warnings to foreign businesses in PNG to respect our laws and refrain from partaking in illegal activities.
Kambo was speaking in reference to an Asian businessman who was arrested and charged by security forces for the possession of contraband items with guns and ammunition in the township.
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