995 Weapons Found in School, DPR Suspects Network Exploiting Education

House of Representatives Commission III member Soedeson Tandra has called on the police to thoroughly investigate the discovery of 995 weapons and narcotics at a private school in the Kebayoran Lama area of South Jakarta.

Tandra suspects a criminal network has been exploiting the educational institution as a storage site for these illegal items.

“The origin of these weapons and what they were intended for must be investigated. This includes the discovery of narcotics, which poses a serious threat to the younger generation. This is important so that we can anticipate criminal plans that endanger national security,” Tandra told reporters on Friday (7/8).

Tandra assessed that the discovery of hundreds of weapons serves as a stark warning for security forces to maintain national stability.

The chairman of the Golkar Party’s Central Papua regional board urged the police not only to arrest the perpetrators but also to dismantle the structured network behind them.

“We regret that items like these were found in a school, a place for educating the nation’s generation, especially firearms and narcotics. We ask the police to investigate thoroughly, as this violates the Emergency Law and carries very severe penalties,” he said.

Previously, the school’s legal counsel revealed that a total of 995 weapons were found in the room of the former chairman of the private school foundation in Pondok Pinang, Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.

Hermawanto, acting as the school’s legal counsel, said the room was opened because it was to be used for the school’s student needs.

“So on 10 and 11 July, almost a month ago, we found 995 weapons. Inside there were firearms, including ammunition and several other weapon accessories,” Hermawanto told reporters on Thursday.

Separately, the president director of PT Lokta Karya Perbakin, who claims to own the weapons, Alhadid Endar Putra, stated that the hundreds of airsoft guns found were legal and properly licensed.

“The point is everything is licensed. All 995 items found are licensed,” Alhadid said when contacted on Thursday.

Alhadid also stated that the hundreds of airsoft guns had been stored at the location since 2020. According to him, the weapons were intended for a shooting extracurricular activity at the school.

However, Alhadid said that because the coach, identified by the initial S, died in 2022, the shooting extracurricular activity at the school ceased to operate.

Later, the school denied that a shooting extracurricular activity had ever existed at the institution.