Missing man found dead after new in Poso attacks

La Remmy, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

A 26-year-old man, who was reported missing on Oct. 12 when masked gunmen raided several villages and killed at least nine people in Central Sulawesi, was found dead on Thursday, police said.

Spokesman for the Central Sulawesi Police headquarters Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto said the body of Susanto Jafar was discovered floating in a river at around 8 a.m. by civil servant Marius Beba from Lawanga neighborhood, Poso Kota subdistrict.

He said Marius reported the body to the nearby police who then retrieved Susanto's body and took him to Poso General Hospital for an autopsy.

The police were looking for witnesses to investigate the death of the victim, Sugianto added.

He said Susanto had been reported missing by his family last Sunday after a group of masked gunmen launched dawn raids on three villages in Poso Pesisir subdistrict, killing nine people.

Susanto, a fish vendor operating across Poso Pesisir -- some 15 kilometers from downtown Poso, was believed to have been abducted by unidentified people.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Taufiq Ridha could not say on Thursday whether the disappearance of Susanto was related to Sunday's attacks, saying security forces were investigating the case.

The police and military are engaged in joint search for the mysterious gunmen across Poso, security officers said but would not reveal the number of personnel involved.

Chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who ended a two-day visit to Central Sulawesi on Thursday, said the authorities launched an intelligence operation as well to find the hideouts of the gunmen and stop renewed attacks in the regency.