Crude bombs found in Indramayu

Crude bombs found in Indramayu

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu

The police in Indramayu, West Java, have destroyed 283 crude
bombs that were allegedly abandoned during recent violence
between two villages that left dozens injured.

Indramayu Police detective chief Adj. Comr. Jidin Siagian,
said here on Thursday that the crude devices, found inside four
wooden boxes, were discovered by villagers in farmland near Dukuh
Village.

"The farmers reported their findings to police and, then, we
destroyed them and buried the remains in a big hole near where
they were found," he said.

He said the explosives consisted of bottles containing
firecracker powder and nails. The hazardous devices were
allegedly abandoned by a group involved in a recent clash between
residents of Dukuh Village and nearby Pekandangan Village.

Cirebon Police have arrested 15 youths involved in the clash
on Wednesday, the start the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan.

Cirebon Police First Insp. Indra Darmawan said the suspects,
arrested with stones, machetes and molotov cocktails, were still
being questioned intensively.

"We are also chasing several other suspects who escaped when
the police raided their hiding place in the subdistrict on
Thursday," he said, adding police did not know what sparked the
clash.

Dozens of villagers injured in the incident are still in
hospital.

Meanwhile, Adj. Comr. Joko S., deputy chief of the Indramayu
Police Precinct, warned local people against trouble making
during Ramadhan.

"Locals should work hand in hand with security authorities to
maintain security in the regency and in public transportation
networks, such as buses and trains, as the north coast highway
and railway is prone to sabotage," he said.