Gun make could hold answer to mysterious gunfire

Gun make could hold answer to mysterious gunfire

JAKARTA (JP): Police are still trying to identify the type of
gun used in the shots fired at a five-star hotel and a bank
building.

City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo told reporters here
yesterday that ballistics experts at the National Police Forensic
Laboratory had not yet completed their examination of the three
cartridges found.

The cartridges were found on Jl. Teluk Betung, several hundred
meters from the two buildings, police sources said.

A senior officer, who requested anonymity, said that the
cartridges were being studied to determine the type and caliber
of the gun.

Forensic experts have already spent more than two days
examining the cartridges. However, many believe the identity of
the gun owner is preventing the police from disclosing any of
their findings.

Col. M.A. Erwin of the forensics laboratory declined to
comment, saying only that the lab facilities were some of the
most sophisticated in Southeast Asia.

Earlier reports of a long-barrel rifle being used has led to
speculation that Armed Forces personnel may have been involved.
Dibyo had no comment.

The chief of the Armed Forces faction in the House of
Representatives has called for a thorough investigation into the
incident.

Attention

The incident deserves special attention for its "serious"
implications, faction chief Maj. Gen. Suparman Achmad said.

The fact that "ABRI has a complete list of its rifles" should
help police determine if the rifle is ABRI-issued, Suparman said.
However, he added, the motive might be more difficult to
ascertain.

The shots were fired at two separate rooms of a five-star
hotel on Jl. Karet Pasar Baru Timur at around 6 a.m. Sunday.

Around the same time, an office on the 27th floor of the Bank
Bumi Daya headquarters on Jl. Imam Bonjol was also fired on.

There were no fatalities reported in the shooting, which some
say was meant to disrupt the Saturday wedding reception of movie
star Ongky Alexander Harianto and corporate executive Paula
Ayustina Saroinsong.

Paula, employed at a company run by Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana,
has an office on the 23rd floor of the bank headquarters.

Earlier, Ongky received heavy media coverage in connection
with a land scam involving millions of rupiah. He was found not
guilty. (bsr)