The vigilante ghost guard

Lae, Papua New Guinea

Just before Christmas in 1972, a thirty six year old man taken into custody by the police claimed to have been kept captive by a ‘supernatural figure’ for three days. During that time, the said captive, who was never named in the press, claimed to have been kept without any food or water.

It appears that the victim of this ‘supernatural incarceration’ (his name was Thomas to Bui Bui and came from Rabaul) had broken into an up-market house near the Technical College (soon to be second University on PNG). He had a reputation as a burglar and the police kept a close eye on him. Knowing from chats with security guards and domestics that the owners of this particular house were away on a short holiday, he decided to carry out his professional duties in peace with little fear of being discovered.

Once inside, he had taken his time looking around and had soon collected a reasonable haul. He made preparations to leave with his booty. He turned to do just that when a sudden blow knocked him to the floor. He lay stunned. He shook his head and looked around the room but could see no one. He struggled to his feet but was knocked down again.

He lay winded on the floor wondering what was happening as he could see no assailant.

He tried to stand up, but someone was pinning him to the floor. He tried to struggle free, but he could not move. Each time he worked his way free and tried to stand up, he was knocked down again.

He was terrified as he could see nothing and feel nothing apart from the force of what he thought could only be a ‘supernatural figure’ that kept knocking him down and then keeping him pinned to the ground.

This is an interesting story, and it gets more interesting. One has to believe that a burglar would not willingly allow himself to be caught. What puzzled everyone was: why, every time Thomas tried to get away, was he knocked to the ground? Try as he hard as he could, there was no way he could get out of that house.

This went on for three days, until the owners returned. They found a terrified Thomas lying on the floor in living room of their home, frightened, hungry and dehydrated.

Whilst they were alarmed to find an intruder in their home, they could see that he was in a bad way. Concerned as to his wellbeing, they called an ambulance that duly arrived and escorted Thomas to hospital.

Oh, I almost forgot! They also called the police, who travelled with the ambulance and Thomas to ‘ensure his safety’.

After he was a little better (which did not take long), the police interrogated Thomas. No matter what they asked, Thomas kept repeating that every time he tried to escape, this ‘supernatural figure’ would beat him to the ground and pin him there so that he could not move.

When reporters asked the police for more details, they refused to comment. Apparently it is not good form to speculate as to such ‘supernatural’ happenings. It can cause a backlash! Of a supernatural kind?

Obviously.

It is a strange story and one that I should treat with a grain of salt were it not for the fact that it was my house.

Who were the unseen assailants? I have not got a clue. Maybe there is a police force made up of ‘supernatural figures?’ Maybe Casper is not the world’s only good ghost! PNG could have done with such a force.