West Papua Police Arrest Assembled Senpi Seller, 40 Weapons Confiscated

The West Papua Police Chief checked evidence of homemade firearms that were successfully secured by the Manokwari Police Opsnal Team, Monday. (ANTARA/Fran

MANOKWARI - West Papua Police Chief Inspector General Daniel TM Silitonga ordered his staff to trace and confiscate homemade firearms circulating among the community.

This is related to the sale and purchase of homemade firearms by six suspects who have been arrested by the Manokwari Police Criminal Investigation Unit Opsnal Team, on Sunday (22/10).

"There have been 40 at the top of the suspect's sale. I have ordered all ranks to search and confiscate," said Daniel, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, October 23.

He suspects that the sale of homemade firearms carried out by six suspects targets groups opposite the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

"It is possible that homemade guns circulate to them (dispute groups) such as in Maybrat or other areas," said Daniel.

From the results of the interim examination, he said, evidence of 12 firearms confiscated by the Manokwari Police was assembled using certain techniques, not ordinary techniques.

The case will be further developed to identify technicians who teach six suspects to assemble firearms for trading.

"The suspect admitted that he studied self-taught, of course the police did not necessarily believe it. We will investigate who the technician who became the brain is," said Daniel.

Manokwari Police Chief Kombes Rivadin Benny Simangunsong explained that the six suspects arrested were divided into two groups of illegal firearms.

The six had the initials RT (38), K (36), ARP (34), MS (42), MT (40) and NM (39) who were arrested in two different locations.

"Initially they were only one group, but after getting their capital they broke into two groups," said Benny Simangunsong.

The activity of assembling firearms, he said, was carried out regularly in accordance with the large number of requests from the public (orders).

The actions of the six suspects were charged with Article 1 paragraph (1) of the Emergency Law Number 12 of 1952 with the death penalty or life imprisonment or 20 years in prison.

"There is still one suspect with the initials W who we are pursuing. He has been included in the DPO, and W is suspected of being a financier," explained Simangunsong.