Basarnas Still Searching For Pepper Farmers Reported Missing In East Kolaka Forest

The Basarnas team searches for missing pepper farmers in the forest of Wia-wia Village, East Kolaka/ Photo: Antara

JAKARTA – Since being reported missing in the forest of Wia-wia Village, East Kolaka, Southeast Sulawesi, Wednesday, January 26, at around 17:55 WITA, a team of officers from the Kendari Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas) are still searching for a pepper farmer named Ketut Wijaya (35) , Saturday January 29th.

"The Kolaka SAR Post Rescue Team was dispatched to the last location of the victim's whereabouts by using a rescue car (rescue car) to provide SAR assistance," said Head of Kendari Basarnas Aris Sofingi, quoting Antara.

A team was deployed to conduct a northward sweep of the victim's last location within a three-kilometer radius. And the second team combed the area within a radius of three kilometers south of the last location of the victim's whereabouts.

According to Aris, the search for the farmer from Wiawia Village involved officers from the Kolaka SAR Post, Ladongi Police, Babinsa Wiawia Village, Wiawia Village officials, the victim's family, and local residents.

He explained that on January 26, 2022 Ketut Wijaya went to pick pepper with his two friends. After picking pepper, at around 17.00 WITA, they went home.

"On the way back home, the victim and two of his colleagues took different roads, the victim headed west while two of his colleagues headed north," said Aris.

After that, the head of the intelligence unit at the Ladongi police station reported the disappearance of Ketut Wijaya on Friday, January 28, and the Search and Rescue Office followed up on the report by deploying a rescue team.