Police Examine 7 Witnesses and 86 CCTV Cameras in Acid Attack Investigation into Andrie Yunus
Police have questioned seven witnesses to investigate an acid attack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS).
Central Jakarta Metro Police Commander Kombes Reynold Hutagalung stated that the seven witnesses were questioned during the investigation phase. The case has been escalated to the investigation stage following the discovery of suspected criminal conduct as defined under Articles 467(2) and/or 468(1) of the Indonesian Criminal Code.
“The investigators have also conducted witness statements (BAP) with seven individuals,” said Reynold during a press conference on Monday (16 March).
The seven witnesses included Ipda Dede Saepudin (reporter and operations officer with Central Jakarta Metro Police), Brigadir Ridho Feris (identification team member with Central Jakarta Metro Police), and Aipda Faisal (who discovered the victim’s helmet). The remaining witnesses were Sutemu (CCTV owner at the warung near the crime scene), Ari (a resident who assisted the victim), Dayat (a resident who helped pursue the perpetrators), and Nurhadi alias Yadi (a witness acquainted with the victim).
Metro Jaya Police Regional Criminal Investigation Division Commander Kombes Iman Imanuddin reported that police had seized recordings from 86 CCTV cameras relating to the acid attack. The cameras comprised seven ETLE (electronic traffic law enforcement) cameras, 27 municipal CCTV units, eight from the Transportation Department, and 44 from private residences, offices, and buildings.
“From the 86 camera surveillance points we analysed, there are 2,610 images in video format, with a total duration of 10,320 minutes. We therefore need several days to digitally analyse the CCTV footage along the entire route taken by the perpetrators,” he stated.
On Thursday evening, 12 March, Andrie Yunus was attacked with acid whilst in Central Jakarta. KontraS Coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya reported that the incident occurred following Andrie’s attendance at a podcast event entitled “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia” at the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) at approximately 23:00 Western Indonesian Time.
“He suffered an acid attack by unknown perpetrators, resulting in serious injuries across his body, particularly on both hands, face, chest, and eyes,” Arya stated in a written statement on Friday (13 March).
Following the incident, Andrie was immediately taken to hospital for medical treatment. Medical examination revealed he sustained burns covering 24 per cent of his body.
Dimas also disclosed descriptions of the suspected perpetrators. The first suspect wore a white-and-blue combination t-shirt, dark trousers believed to be jeans, and a black helmet. The second suspect, the passenger, wore a black face covering or mask resembling a ‘buff’ covering half the face, a dark blue t-shirt, and blue trousers rolled up and believed to be denim.