Mataram Police Arrest Five in Udayana Machete Attack, Four Are Minors

The Mataram City Police have arrested five suspects, four of whom are minors, for a violent assault involving sickles and machetes on Jalan Udayana, Mataram. The attack occurred in front of the Mataram Class I Immigration Office on Sunday.

Mataram Police Chief, Commissioner Hendro Purwoko, stated that the incident began when the suspects, who were under the influence of alcohol, went looking for a man they believed had bothered a female friend. The group, riding motorcycles, spotted the victim and his friend passing by and immediately attacked them. “The perpetrators directly assaulted the victim by stabbing him with a sickle and a machete,” Hendro said on Tuesday.

The victim suffered slash wounds to his right wrist and back. However, police investigations revealed that the victim was a case of mistaken identity and had no connection to the suspects or their female friend. The five suspects, identified by their initials as SD (20), ZK (17), FY (16), DN (17), and IJ (15), were arrested on Monday. Four were apprehended at a boarding house in the Punia area, while one surrendered to the Selaparang police station after learning he was being pursued.

Police detailed the roles of each suspect: SD stabbed the victim with a sickle, ZK stabbed with a machete, FT kicked the victim, and IJ owned the machete and rode the motorcycle with FT. DN was identified as the owner of the sickle. Authorities also seized five motorcycles, the sickle and machete used in the attack, clothing, and CCTV footage as evidence. The suspects are currently undergoing intensive examination at the Mataram Police headquarters.

The attack, which was recorded on CCTV and widely shared on social media, has caused significant fear among local residents. Aulia, a Mataram resident, said the viral video has made her afraid to go out at night, especially near Jalan Udayana. Novi, a resident of Sweta subdistrict, expressed similar anxiety, saying she no longer feels comfortable exercising at Taman Udayana, a spot she used to frequent on weekends.