The police chief has signed the letter containing an order of assignment for the technical teamJakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Police Chief General Tito Karnavian has signed a letter ordering members of the police's technical team to undertake a thorough investigation into the Novel Baswedan acid attack case, a police spokesman said.
"The police chief has signed the letter containing an order of assignment for the technical team," the National Police Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, told journalists here Wednesday. Led by Chief of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department Senior Commissioner Idham Azis, this technical team has 10 members who are the best police investigators in the force, he said.
The team members will officially start working on August 1, 2019 by firstly reviewing the outcome of the investigation report recently released by a joint team that the National Police had set up early this year.
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Thereafter, they will conduct a thorough analysis of the crime scene by applying scientific methods to uncover the assault on Baswedan, a senior investigator of Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), in 2017, he said.
They would also analyze all clues, including footage from the CCTV cameras on the crime scene and a sketch of the suspects who were involved in the crime, he said.
The technical team's members have been given six months to conclude the case and uncover the truth, according to the letter that General Tito Karnavian signed. However, President Joko Widodo had earlier requested the technical team to complete the work within three months.
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In response to the president's order, the technical team's members have said they would work harder. "I believe they will be able to solve the assault case," Prasetyo said.
The acid attack on Baswedan, a senior investigator of the anti-graft body, occurred on April 11, 2017, when he was heading home after performing Fajr, or the Dawn prayer, at a mosque near his house. It had damaged his eyes, necessitating medical treatment in Jakarta and Singapore.
The acid attack was reportedly launched by two motorcyclists who managed to escape and are still at large. This retired police officer had joined the anti-graft agency in 2007 and since then had been frequently terrorized and attacked.
In 2012, Baswedan's motorcycle was badly damaged after being attacked by supporters of convicted Amran Batalipu, a former district head of Buol, in Central Sulawesi Province.
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Translator: Anita PD, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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