Lawyer's Home in Depok Terrorised with Object Suspected to be Grenade

Police are investigating a suspected act of terror involving an object resembling a grenade at the home of lawyer Novianus Martin Bau in the Pondok Petir area of Depok City on Sunday (5/7) at around 03.45 WIB. ‘It is true, officers received a report of a suspicious object attached to a drone and suspected to be a grenade,’ said Polda Metro Jaya Head of Public Relations, Commissioner Budi Hermanto, to reporters on Monday (6/7). Budi stated that officers immediately went to the location after receiving the report on Sunday. The police conducted a crime scene investigation, installed a police line, and coordinated with the Brimob Gegana Team and Inafis for further handling. ‘Based on the results of the crime scene investigation and handling by the Brimob Gegana Team, the object initially suspected to be an explosive was confirmed to be an item resembling or a replica of a grenade, not an explosive,’ he said. Budi mentioned that his party is currently conducting further investigations to probe the suspected act of terror. ‘The police are still investigating the incident, including taking statements from the complainant and witnesses,’ he stated. Separately, Novianus said his party had reported the incident to the Depok Metro Police. The report was registered under LP/1939/VII/2026/SPKT/Polres Metro Depok/Polda Metro Jaya on Sunday, 5 July 2026. Novianus reported the alleged criminal act of threats as stipulated in Article 449 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP). Novianus explained that the incident began when an object suddenly fell in the yard of his house. Upon inspection, the object was a drone with a grenade attached to its body, along with a message reading ‘Ini Baru Permulaan’ (This is Just the Beginning). He said the Gegana team then carried out sterilisation and examination of the object. The examination results stated that the drone used was a genuine drone, while the grenade carried was a replica. Novianus suspects the incident is related to a legal case being handled by his team, including the Arjuna HyperBowling land dispute on Jalan Arjuna Utara, Kedoya Selatan, West Jakarta. For context, the Legal and Advocacy Team of DPP GRIB JAYA is providing legal assistance regarding a land dispute covering an area of 24,000 square metres on Jalan Arjuna Utara RT 005/RW 03, Kelurahan Kedoya Selatan, Kecamatan Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta. ‘Looking at the tool used, the drone was flown in a controlled manner and carried an object resembling a grenade. We suspect this was carried out by people with specific capabilities or skills,’ he said. Novianus also revealed that prior to the drone incident, he had received threatening messages via WhatsApp. ‘Because we had previously received threatening messages via WhatsApp, we suspect this series of intimidation is related to the Arjuna case we are handling,’ he said. According to Novianus, this incident was not the first act of intimidation. Previously, the land site that had been reclaimed by the heirs was reportedly terrorised by the throwing of three venomous snakes. Subsequently, the home of one of the heirs’ legal representatives, H. Sulardi in Ciracas, East Jakarta, was also targeted in a suspected Molotov cocktail attack. Despite this, Novianus stated that the Legal and Advocacy Team of DPP GRIB JAYA remains committed to assisting the heirs in fighting for their rights through legal channels. ‘In principle, we are acting based on a clear legal position and fighting for the rights of the community, whom we believe have been oppressed. Whatever the risks, we will face them,’ he said. ‘We are handling this case because there is a Supreme Court ruling with permanent legal force, and the heirs are the legal owners of the Arjuna HyperBowling land. This is a consequence of our fight for the rights of ordinary people,’ he added.