A police investigation into an alleged sorcery murder in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea is set to get underway, following the Enga Provincial Government's agreement to fund a plane trip.
Missionaries and police say a mother of four, known as Misila, was hacked to death last week in Fiyawena village in Enga province, when 10 men who had earlier accused her of sorcery, carried out a brutal summary execution with an axe.
The Provincial Police Commander for Enga, George Kakas, says police resources are very limited, and the village is a two-hour flight and then a further two-hour walk from Wabag town.
He says now that the provincial government has responded to requests for funding, a plane will be chartered this week, taking officers and investigators to Fiyawena.
Missionaries say the primitive beliefs in sanguma, or evil spirits, appear to be spreading from village to village in the highlands.
PNG police on patrol Photo: AFP