Police are investigating an alleged hostage-taking of civilians by an\narmed group in Jila District, Mimika Regency, Central Papua.<\/p>\n
Police said the information was obtained from members of the public\nand subsequently passed on to personnel at the Jila police post.<\/p>\n
Mimika Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Alredo Agustinus\nRumbiak said that, to date, police have not obtained direct testimony\nfrom residents who witnessed the alleged hostage-taking.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to information from my personnel at the Jila police post,\nthat is what the community conveyed,\u201d he said on Wednesday, 19 August\n2026.<\/p>\n
However, Alredo stressed that police have not yet obtained the\nidentities of the alleged victims or any witnesses who directly saw the\nincident.<\/p>\n
\u201cUp to now, no one has been able to provide the names of the alleged\nhostages or give testimony of having seen the incident. We are still\ninvestigating the information from the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Based on initial information gathered, the alleged hostage-taking is\nsaid to have occurred in Jila District on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, and\ninvolved nine civilians, all of whom were women.<\/p>\n
The nine residents are alleged to have been taken hostage by an armed\ngroup. However, police are still investigating the veracity of the\ninformation, including the identities and whereabouts of the residents\nsaid to be victims.<\/p>\n
Jila District is one of 18 districts in Mimika Regency. The area is\nlocated in a mountainous region, and access to the district is partly by\nsmall-bodied aircraft.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nine-women-allegedly-taken-hostage-by-armed-group-in-mimika-1787136846", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }