Police, military dumb over arrest of officer's son

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)