A police operation is underway to rescue an Australian university professor and three researchers taken hostage in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea, the Pacific island nation's police commissioner said on Monday evening.
Armed criminals have demanded cash in return for releasing the captives, who included one foreign citizen and three Papua New Guinea students, Police Commissioner David Manning said in a statement, describing the gunmen as "opportunists" and the situation as "delicate".
"Our specialised security force personnel will use whatever means necessary against the criminals, up to and including the use of lethal force, in order to provide for the safety and security of the people being held," Manning said.
