Reports from Papua New Guinea say heavily armed criminals took five policemen and a security guard hostage and seized their weapons and vehicle.
The Post Courier newspaper says the incident happened in Mendi in the Southern Highlands on Sunday.
It says the drama began when a criminal pretending to be a betelnut trader came to the police station and reported to four officers on duty that criminals held him up at Magani market.
When the officers arrived at the market, six armed men held them up.
Police say the gunmen planned to break into the Post Office but changed their mind, leaving the officers tied up in the bush and escaping on the road towards Western Highlands province.
