Police Investigate Alleged Involvement Of Other Parties Behind The Escape Of Death Convict Cai Changpan

Illustration / Pixabay

JAKARTA - The police have opened the possibility that another suspect will be behind the escape of a drug convict, Cai Changpan from the Tangerang Class I Correctional Institution (Lapas). Currently, the police have named two prison officers as suspects.

"Is there any other possibility? It could be, the investigation is still ongoing, yes, because the team is still working on whether there will be other suspects we just wait for," said Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Yusri Yunus to reporters, Wednesday, October 7.

Meanwhile, for the two prison officers who have been named suspects, the police have detained them. This is because the punishment under Article 426 of the Criminal Code, which is suspected of imprisonment for a maximum of 4 years.

However, the two suspects will continue to be examined intensively by the joint team of the National Police and the Directorate General of Corrections (Ditjen PAS). The goal is to explore the alleged intention behind the negligence element.

The two suspects according to Yusri followed orders from Cai Changpan to buy and store the water pump he used during the process of making the escape hole.

"He was the one who was preparing to buy the vacuum cleaner at that time, that's one of them, is there anything else? Still investigating," he said.

The two prison officers named the suspect have the initials S. They are the Warden and PNS of the Tangerang Class I Lapas.

"That he (the two officers) helped buy the equipment, one of which is this water pump," Yusri told reporters, Friday, October 2.

Information about the alleged involvement of the two officers was based on the results of the witness examination. The two of them were ordered to buy equipment and store it back to eliminate traces of the escape.

"He (two officers) received money from the suspect (Cai Changpan). Then he bought it using the address concerned or this guard's employee. Even took him there (Lapas), he also took it back at his residence," said Yusri.

In addition, based on the results of their examination of the two, they admitted that they received Rp. 100,000 in return for each time helping Cai Changpan. However, to be sure both are still being examined intensively.

Cai Changpan alias Antoni managed to escape from the Tangerang Class I Prison on Monday, September 14. He escaped by making a hole in the wall and entering the sewer. In the cell were found shovels and several other tools that were thought to have been used to escape.

Quoted from the Supreme Court (MA) directory, Cai Changpan alias Antoni was sentenced to death by the Tangerang District Court on July 19, 2017 for a drug case. This death row inmate then submitted an appeal to the Banten High Court on September 28, 2017, but was rejected.

Cai Changpan was found guilty of a case of methamphetamine drugs with 1,135 plastic packs of evidence. The total weight of crystal methamphetamine is said to have reached 135 kilograms