The acting police commander in the Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville, Paul Kamuai, says they're yet to secure the trust of five Fijians they have offered free passage from the province.
The five former Fiji soldiers have reportedly been let go by the money scam operator, Noah Musingku, who had been using them for security.
The five have been on the run since a fatal gunfight last month.
Paul Kamuai says the last time he received an accurate report of the whereabouts of Noah Musingku and the Fijians was a week ago when they were in Sinanai in south Bougainville.
"You know I've mentioned to them that we could provide safe passage for them despite the fact that they may have some fear of the police. But if I'm talking to them, we've really got to have some trust between the police, the Fijians and Noah Musingku but that doesn't seem to be the case with the Fijians and Noah Musingku."
