A 30-year-old man has been taken into custody over an alleged knife attack on a 45-year-old man at Lalana Island, Malaita Province, according to a police statement published on the Solomon Islands Government portal on 29 September 2026.
The statement said officers from Auki made the arrest on the 28th of September 2026 with help from community leaders, and that the stabbing itself occurred the previous week, on 24 September 2026. Early reports indicated the suspect had been drinking heavily when it happened, the statement said.
Superintendent Michaeal Ramosaea, Supervising Provincial Police Commander (PPC) for Malaita Province, said officers in Auki had an investigation under way into the alleged incident. He said the older man had been playing ludo beneath his house when he was allegedly set upon with the kitchen knife.
Superintendent Ramosaea said the suspect is alleged to have cut the man's body and to have knifed him in the belly, leaving severe wounds. Family members got the injured man to hospital while the suspect fled and went into hiding, he said, adding that the victim's condition was critical.
Mr Ramosaea said officers visited the man in hospital but were not able to take a formal statement from him because he was too badly hurt.
According to the statement, the Malaita Provincial Chief has appealed to the man's relatives to stay calm and keep the peace while the investigation continues, and residents have been asked to avoid taking the law into their own hands.
Source: Based on a Royal Solomon Islands Police Force statement published on the Solomon Islands Government portal (solomons.gov.sb) on 29 September 2026. https://solomons.gov.sb/police-arrest-a-30-year-old-male-suspect-for-stabbing-a-45-year-old-male-victim-with-a-kitchen-knife/