Prosecutor's Office Investigators Mobbed by Residents During Village Office Raid in Corruption Case
Investigators from the Dompu District Prosecutor’s Office in West Nusa Tenggara were mobbed by residents whilst conducting a search at the Tekasire village office in Manggelewa District. A number of files seized by the investigators were subsequently snatched by the crowd.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon, 13th August. Video footage capturing the moments investigators were surrounded and blocked by residents went viral on social media.
Head of Intelligence at the Dompu Prosecutor’s Office, Dany Curia Novitawan, confirmed the search activity carried out by the prosecutor’s investigators at the Tekasire village office. Dany explained that the search was related to an alleged corruption case involving the Village Head, identified by the initials MZ.
“We were conducting a search and it is true that a box was seized and damaged,” Dany said when contacted on Friday, 14th August 2026.
Based on circulating video footage, investigators were allegedly intimidated by residents whilst searching a room in the village office. Residents also blocked the road in front of the village office by burning tyres.
As a result of the action, traffic on the Bima-Sumbawa highway was temporarily disrupted. Queues of vehicles stretched from both directions.
After completing the search, the investigators attempted to break through the crowd. They exited the village office carrying a red box containing the seized documents.
A tug-of-war ensued between the residents and the investigators. Due to being outnumbered, the box of seized documents was eventually snatched by the residents. The documents were then scattered and torn up by the crowd.
The Dompu Prosecutor’s Office investigators were eventually evacuated by police and military personnel who were at the scene. However, the documents that were to be seized during the search could not be salvaged.
The mobbing of the investigators was reportedly carried out by supporters of the village head, MZ. They were aggrieved that MZ had been named a suspect in the alleged corruption case involving the purchase of land for a football field in the 2024 fiscal year.
Dany stated that seven investigators, wearing vests marked with the Special Anti-Corruption Unit, were present during the search. He revealed that the box seized and damaged by the residents contained important documents related to the corruption case.
“Those were documents regarding evidence in the alleged corruption case of procuring the football field land,” he added.
Dany stressed that the case, which has already been elevated to the investigation stage, will continue despite the evidence being seized by residents. According to him, in archive management systems, the creation of copies, duplicates, or backups is recommended to secure data in anticipation of damage and loss.
“It is already at the investigation stage, so the case will proceed. Investigators here are still working to gather all evidence and exhibits,” he said.