Brigadier General Muhammad Arsal Sahban tackled highway robbery,\ncattle theft, and illegal sand mining in Lumajang, East Java, by\nestablishing the Cobra Task Force. The former Lumajang Police Chief was\neven nominated by residents to become regent due to his track record of\nreducing crime rates.<\/p>\n
For his actions, Brigadier General Arsal Sahban has been proposed by\nseveral Lumajang residents for the 2026 Hoegeng Awards. Brigadier\nGeneral Arsal served as Police Chief from 2018 to 2019. He currently\nholds the position of Senior Policy Analyst in the Criminal\nInvestigation Division of the Indonesian National Police.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Maulana Baehaki, a Lumajang resident, stated that Brigadier\nGeneral Arsal served the community well during his tenure as Lumajang\nPolice Chief. He said Arsal and his police force combated crime through\nthe Cobra Task Force.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, he served the community well and carried out his duties\nas a police officer on patrol. He patrolled every day on a motorcycle\nand also cracked down on motorcycle theft, even using his own salary to\nreward people who reported or captured cattle rustlers,\u201d Maulana told\ndetikcom on Wednesday (25\/2\/2026).<\/p>\n
Maulana stated that Brigadier General Arsal directly led the Cobra\nTask Force, which patrolled on trail motorcycles.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not distinguish himself as a Police Chief or anyone else; he\nremained a police officer, performing patrol duties to maintain security\nand comfort for residents in Lumajang,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Maulana still recalls an incident of cattle theft during that period.\nBrigadier General Arsal reportedly went directly to pursue the\nperpetrators.<\/p>\n
\u201cA search was conducted, and it turned out one resident reported that\nthere was cattle in a sugar cane plantation. Eventually, the Police\nChief and his team went there, and after that, a wider search was\nconducted. During the apprehension, the perpetrator managed to get onto\nthe roof of a house and was carrying a machete. The perpetrator was\nultimately caught,\u201d Maulana recounted.<\/p>\n
Maulana noted that highway robbery and livestock theft were common\nproblems in Lumajang. According to him, these cases declined after the\nCobra Task Force, directly led by Brigadier General Arsal, took\naction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Lumajang, crimes such as highway robbery and cattle theft were\nfrequent and difficult to eliminate. During his tenure, crime decreased\nbecause he went directly to the field and inspected stolen motorcycles\nthat thieves and highway robbers had purchased, making it difficult for\nthese criminals to operate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Maulana stated that the Cobra Task Force became well-known in\nneighbouring regions. He also mentioned that residents from Sidoarjo\nsought help from Brigadier General Arsal after losing a vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was also a resident from Sidoarjo who met the Police Chief for\nhelp because his L300 pickup truck was missing, but the Police Chief\ncould not assist because he was stationed in Lumajang, not Sidoarjo,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Arsal\u2019s name came up as a potential candidate for Regent of\nLumajang. Maulana said residents proposed Arsal because of his track\nrecord as Lumajang Police Chief.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had already been transferred to become an instructor at the\nPolice Academy, and that was because of his dedication to maintaining\nsecurity and safety in Lumajang. As a result, Lumajang residents had\ngreat confidence in him, and he was regarded as a desired candidate for\nRegent of Lumajang, but he had no desire for such a position,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
No Compromise with Highway Robbery and Hooligan Gangs<\/p>\n
Ikhlasun Malik Fajar, a Lumajang native who currently serves as\nDeputy Secretary General of the Indonesian Islamic Student Association\n(HMI) National Board, also nominated Arsal for the 2026 Hoegeng Awards.\nIkhlasun considered Brigadier General Arsal to be a Police Chief who was\nclose to Lumajang residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a simple, principled, and competent figure, committed to how\nsituations develop towards prosperity and tranquillity in society, as\nevidenced by his tenure as Lumajang Police Chief and his continuing work\nat the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the National Police,\u201d Ikhlasun\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Brigadier General Arsal was said to have shown no compromise with\nhooligan gangs, theft, and highway robbery. Ikhlasun stated that\nBrigadier General Arsal refused bribery attempts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is clean; he formed a special team called the Cobra Task Force,\nset up a scheme, monitored it himself, and got involved himself as well.\nThere was no compromise with hooligan gangs or highway robbers, no\ncompromise at all, and he never accepted bribes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nominated by Residents to Become Regent of Lumajang<\/p>\n
Ikhlasun stated that Lumajang residents were impressed with Brigadier\nGeneral Arsal\u2019s leadership during his tenure as Police Chief. In 2024,\nresidents proposed Arsal to become Regent of Lumajang.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrime could be reduced drastically, and even a survey institution\nput him forward as a candidate for regent last year in 2024. But he\nseems unwilling to enter politics, yet the enthusiasm of residents\npushed him forward as a regional leader. We long for such a figure again\nin Lumajang,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ikhlasun considered Brigadier General Arsal to be a figure close to\nresidents. He mentioned that Brigadier General Arsal currently serves as\nChair of the Neighbourhood Association (RT) in Tanjung Duren, West\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I have observed, he was elected as Neighbourhood\nAssociation Chair, and that is behind the scenes, really. He is very\napproachable with the community. On the public stage, he presents\nhimself as a simple yet firm figure. In Lumajang, he rode motorcycles\nwith the Cobra Task Force to eradicate hooligan gangs and highway\nrobbery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A similar account was given by another Lumajang resident, Dani Febri.\nDani claimed to have witnessed how Arsal cut off the chain of crime\nthrough the Cobra Task Force.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Cobra Task Force went down to villages; he directly cut off the\nroots by coming to villages to check on stolen motorcycles, motorcycles\nwithout proper documentation. It was somewhat shocking for villagers,\nbut many people were affected by this action,\u201d Dani Febri said.<\/p>\n
Dani said local residents initially resisted. However, the approach\ntaken by Brigadier General Arsal was able to resolve the highway robbery\nproblem at that time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe highway robbery problem was dealt with directly and seriously,\nso crime, especially highway robbery\u2014when outsiders heard about\nLumajang, they heard about a robbery city\u2014that decreased immediately,\nthe data shows,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/brigadier-general-arsal-commander-of-cobra-task-force-and-former-candidate-for-regent-of-lumajang-1772423802", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }