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.