Complete Chronology Of Tangerang Prison Fire And Allegations That Appear

Tangerang prison fire (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - The Tangerang Class I Correctional Institution (Lapas) fire incident has found a bright spot. Based on the investigation, the first hotspot was known but new suspicions emerged.

Initially, the Metro Jaya Police Chief said that the cause of the fire was strongly suspected to be an electrical short circuit. However, this is only a preliminary guess.

"Based on initial observations, it is reasonable to suspect that there was a short circuit in the electric current, which will be investigated later," Fadil told reporters, Wednesday, September 8.

In determining the cause of the fire, continued Fadil, the National Police Laboratory for Research and Development will be deployed to thoroughly investigate. In fact, general criminal investigation units from the Regional Police and the Resort Police were also deployed to find out other possible causes.

"The team from the National Police Headquarters Puslabfor from the General Criminal Directorate of Polda Metro Jaya together with the Tangerang Police Satreskrim are working marathons to find out the cause of the fire," said Fadil.

However, over time and the investigation process. Several new developments emerged, for example, there were allegations of criminal acts behind the fire.

Director of General Criminal Investigation of the Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Tubagus Ade Hidayat said the alleged elements of this crime were found after the crime scene was carried out (TKP). Where, some evidence was found and confiscated.

"Another thing is because it is suspected that a crime has occurred, we collect evidence," said Tubagus.

Some of the evidence that was confiscated and examined by Puslabfor included cables and several electrical installations.

In addition, to prove the existence of an alleged criminal act, continued Tubagus, an examination of witnesses was also carried out. So far, dozens of witnesses have been questioned.

"Currently we are conducting (questioning) 20 witnesses," said Tubagus.

Dozens of witnesses consisted of guard officers, local residents, and prisoners. The examination was also carried out at the Tangerang Metro Police.

"(Witness) was the guard picket last night, then the second one was (resident) in the vicinity and the third is the resident in the block who can still be questioned," said Tubagus.

However, it did not specify the context of the crime. Most likely, the crime is related to negligence or intentional elements.

The investigation process to prove the allegation will be carried out jointly. This means that the alleged criminal case was carried out by the Polda Metro Jaya and Polres Metro Tangerang.

On the other hand, from the TKP results, it is known that the fire first appeared from the ceiling in block C2.

"From the TKP results, the hotspots originated from one point, and occurred above, behind the ceiling," said Tubagus.

Then, it was suspected that the fire spread and grew rapidly. This is because the ceiling that became the first fire point was made of flammable materials.

"The ceiling is made of flammable plywood," said Tubagus.

Meanwhile, the Tangerang Class I Prison caught fire on Wednesday, September 8, in the early hours of the morning. As a result of the fire, 41 inmates died.

In addition, it was recorded that 8 inmates suffered serious injuries and 72 inmates suffered minor injuries. They have been taken to the clinic for treatment.