Police, military dumb over arrest of officer's son
JAKARTA (JP): Police and military officers remained tight- lipped on Tuesday over the arrest of a suspected active member of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus), who was also a son of a top- rank military officer, for drug possession.
City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman insisted that the man and his companion, arrested on Sunday at a hotel in West Jakarta with a large amount of drugs, cash and a gun, had nothing to do with the military, and were not related to any senior military officers in the country.
"No member of the Indonesian Military (TNI), nor son of a TNI officer is involved in this case," the two-star general told reporters, adding that his remarks were purely based on the final report made to him by West Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Adjie Rustam Ramja.
"Next time, if you (the media) want to make sure for your own sake, you should join the raids with us," Noegroho reiterated.
A police source identified on Monday the arrested officer as Second Lt. Agus Ishok, 22, from Kopassus.
Shortly after the arrest, the suspect initially identified himself as Deky Setyawan, 20, a private employee and resident of Dago Permai housing complex in Bandung, the capital of West Java.
He and the other suspect, Donny Hendrian, were apprehended in a room at the Travel Hotel while smoking shabu-shabu, a crystal methamphetamine. The West Jakarta detectives also seized five kilograms of shabu-shabu, 6,177 ecstasy pills, 13 grams of heroin, Rp 2,980,000 (US$425), a check for Rp 3 million, an FN pistol and several marijuana cigarettes.
A few hours later, Agus, or Deky, was taken to his father's home by Adjie "to settle the case in accordance with military's procedures", a source said.
The city police later announced to the media that the two were members of a drug syndicate.
Chief of Jakarta Police Military Col. Mungkono Mursidi said his office had not received a report from the Jakarta Police on the drug crime allegedly conducted by a Kopassus member named Second Lt. Agus Ishok.
He pledged that he would start an investigation on any members in the military suspected to be involved in crimes should reports from the police be made available.
"How can we probe a case if we don't have any police reports?" Mungkono said.
Meanwhile, Kopassus spokesman Lt. Col. Wahyu Lany first responded warmly when contacted on the matter but his tone changed when he learned the call was from a reporter.
At the outset of the conversation, Wahyu told the The Jakarta Post that Kopassus personnel "are still crosschecking on the progress of Agus Ishok's case".
Wahyu later reprimanded the reporter for not identifying herself at the beginning of the conversation.
"Why don't you come here yourself and find out? Who is Agus Ishok? And why should there be developments about this man, when there is no case against him," Wahyu said before terminating the conversation.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar separately said that if the man caught in Sunday's arrest was a member of the elite force, ideally, "he should be fired from Kopassus".
"But, if -- as you say -- the man (arrested officer) was already sent to his father's home, then there will be no evidence. No case," Togar told the Post.
He refused to explain further.
Officer Noegroho held an internal meeting on Monday with all senior officers in the city in which he gave a thumbs-up to Adjie for the success his men had in capturing the two members of the drug syndicate on early Sunday.
"I expect all police chiefs to carry out operations like the West Jakarta Police.
"They don't hesitate bringing anybody in to headquarters who are in possession of drugs," a police source quoted Noegroho as saying in the meeting. (ylt/emf)