Not Focusing On Teaching, Junior High School Teachers In East Java Are Even Illegal Firearms Raft, Threatened 20 Years In Prison

JAKARTA - The East Java Regional Police's General Criminal Investigation Directorate has arrested a junior high school teacher from Putukrejo Village, Malang Regency with the initials AR on suspicion of assembling illegal firearms.

"From the suspect's hands, the police secured three homemade firearms and 681 live bullets of various caliber," said Head of Public Relations of the East Java Regional Police, Kombes Gatot Repli Handoko in Surabaya, as reported by Antara, Friday, April 23.

The middle-ranking police officer said that the private junior high school teacher in Malang had been assembling illegally from February 2021 until he was arrested on Thursday, April 22.

The suspect, he said, made a Baikal Makarov water softgun into a short-barreled firearm of 22 mm caliber, 38 mm caliber and 9 mm caliber.

In addition, the suspect also made a homemade 38mm caliber revolver using an air softgun on a consumer order.

Since February 2021 until his arrest, the suspect has produced as many as seven firearms at a cost of Rp. 3.5 million to Rp. 6.5 million.

"In making the firearms, the suspect used a variety of workshop equipment," he said.

Workshop equipment used includes mini lathes, seated drills, hand drills, grinders, files, carbide welding, and electric welding.

"Everything is now being secured by the East Java Regional Police as evidence," said Kombes Pol. Gatot.

In this case, the suspect was charged with Article 1 of the Emergency Law Number 12 of 1951 concerning the criminal act of assembling, manufacturing, storing, controlling and carrying firearms without being equipped with valid documents with the threat of 20 years imprisonment.