A soldier whose home was allegedly broken into in Kinoya has strongly denied claims that Sakiasi Ose Radravu was assaulted during an arrest operation that later ended in the man's death.
The soldier says reports circulating in the media and statements made by the deceased man's wife were inaccurate and did not reflect what actually occurred on the day of the arrest.
According to the soldier, a team of officers arrived at the suspect's residence with a valid arrest warrant.
He claims that neither he nor the arresting team assaulted the suspect at any stage of the operation.
The soldier says the officers were outside the house speaking to the suspect who was inside the house shouting and refusing to cooperate and at no point was he assaulted by the team.
The soldier further alleged that the suspect appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance and was behaving erratically during the encounter and he maintains that the death was the result of a pre-existing medical condition rather than any injuries sustained during the arrest.
He pointed to the post-mortem findings, which he says support his version of events and show there was no evidence of an assault by officers.
The soldier also challenged statements made by the deceased's wife, who had alleged that her husband was assaulted by those involved in the arrest.
According to the soldier, members of the deceased's family acknowledged that the man had previously been involved in thefts within the neighbourhood, although they maintained he had recently changed his ways and had stopped engaging in criminal activity.
Police records from Valelevu Police Station confirm that Radravu was taken in for questioning on the night of April 23rd in relation to an alleged burglary case.
The soldier said he believes the media has taken the story out of proportion and focused heavily on allegations without giving equal consideration to the medical findings and the accounts of those involved in the arrest.
The family is not commenting further on the incident.
Police investigations continue.
Stay with us for updates.
