Senior Police Officer Arrested for Death of Junior Colleague in Police Barracks

A senior police officer has been arrested following the death of a 19-year-old junior colleague in the South Sulawesi Regional Police barracks.

South Sulawesi Regional Police Chief Inspector General Djuhandhani Raharjo Puro detailed the circumstances of the assault that resulted in the death of Bripda DP, allegedly committed by his senior Bripda P, who is now the primary suspect.

Bripda P allegedly assaulted Bripda DP in the Samapta Polda Sulsel barracks immediately after dawn prayers. “Following dawn prayers, Bripda P strangled the victim with his right hand whilst beating him, resulting in the victim’s death,” stated Inspector General Djuhandhani on Thursday (26 February).

The police chief emphasised that Bripda P acted alone in the assault. “The actions taken by Bripda P were his own actions and have been corroborated with available evidence, including autopsy findings that are consistent,” he said.

According to Djuhandhani, the incident began when the victim was perceived as disrespectful and disloyal to his senior. When Bripda P called the victim to appear before him on multiple occasions, the calls went unanswered. “Bripda DP showed disrespect or disloyalty to his senior, Bripda P, by ignoring repeated summons. After dawn prayers, he was collected and Bripda P interpreted this lack of response as disloyalty, which is the motive we have identified during our investigation,” he explained.

Eight witnesses have been interrogated during the investigation, including two non-commissioned officers who have been subjected to disciplinary and ethics sanctions for knowing about the incident but failing to report it.

“We will also pursue legal action against the immediate supervisors up two levels above the suspect. We will examine this further as the professional conduct investigation is ongoing,” Djuhandhani stated.

The Police Chief noted that his department had implemented measures to prevent such incidents by separating senior officers from juniors when the latter entered the Samapta Polda Sulsel training facility. “However, the suspect exploited a gap in these procedures, which is how this incident occurred,” he concluded.