Police arrest nine suspects in attack on officers in Katingan
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Police (Polri) have arrested nine suspects in a drug case who also murdered three members of the Katingan Police Narcotics Unit (Satresnarkoba) in Central Kalimantan during a raid on drug dealers in Tumbang Kalemei Village.
Director of Narcotics Crimes at Polri’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, said in Jakarta on Saturday that the arrests were carried out in a joint operation by the Narcotics and General Crimes Directorates of Central Kalimantan Regional Police, Katingan Police, Sub-Directorate IV of Bareskrim’s Narcotics Crimes Directorate, the NIC Task Force, East Kalimantan Regional Police and Samarinda Police.
According to Eko, the suspects were arrested at six different locations across Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan. The operation ran from Friday (3 July) until Wednesday (8 July).
“The nine suspects are respectively identified by the initials SD alias AT, DN alias DEA, IMP alias RB, NM, ARS alias YD and ML, BO, RL, BS, and PR,” Eko said.
The one-star police general explained that the suspects each played different roles in the case. For instance, suspect SD carried a homemade firearm, shot at officers and incited villagers.
Suspect ARS alias YD also incited villagers and slashed at officers with a machete, while suspect LLP carried a machete and a homemade firearm and shot at officers.
“Suspect BO, a drug dealer, attacked and assaulted officers using a homemade firearm and a machete, and also incited villagers,” he revealed.
Furthermore, suspect RL acted as a crystal methamphetamine distributor, incited villagers, carried a homemade firearm and opened fire, while suspect PI carried a homemade firearm and a mandau and shot at officers.
In addition to the nine suspects, Polri has placed three perpetrators on its wanted list (DPO): PA alias DY, who carried a sharpened knife of the butcher’s variety and a homemade firearm, slashed at police personnel and helped dispose of the victims’ bodies into the river.
Wanted suspect DR alias IYS carried a spear and stabbed the victims near the river, while wanted suspect IL carried a homemade firearm and joined the pursuit and attack on Katingan Police narcotics personnel.
As previously reported, three members of the Katingan Police Narcotics Unit in Central Kalimantan died while taking part in a raid on suspected drug dealers in Tumbang Kalemei Village, Katingan Regency, in the early hours of Thursday (2 July).
The situation changed, however, when several family members of the suspected perpetrator allegedly resisted officers using sharp weapons as the arrest was underway.
Dodik explained that this resistance then drew other residents to the scene, causing the situation to spiral out of control. The police personnel on duty attempted to protect themselves while bringing the situation under control.
In the incident, three police officers — Inspector Second Class (posthumous) Sumariyanto, First Police Sergeant Major (posthumous) Yudhi Perdana Putra and First Police Brigadier (posthumous) Nopandri Ramadhan — were killed in the line of duty as members of the Katingan Police Narcotics Unit.