Makbul says police shooting an accident

JAKARTA: City Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara said Friday that the shooting of two undercover policemen from the National Police drug squad was purely an accident.

"The ongoing investigation of the Central Jakarta policeman who shot the two revealed no indication that they had been backed by a drug dealer, nor that there had been a setup to sink the operation," he said.

On Monday, the policeman shot the undercover officers in the leg when the latter brought in a Nigerian suspected drug dealer to a hotel in Kampung Bali subdistrict, Central Jakarta. The shot officers were now recovering.

Makbul added that his subordinates had been carrying out their duties.

"So, I don't think this accident will discourage any of my subordinates from fighting drug crimes in the future," he said.

He added that the investigation had not yet concluded. -JP