At first, we faced some difficulties in uncovering the case since the arms trafficking activities are operated quite slickly, and official documents are available for the rifles and are supplied by air transportJayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw was vociferous in his condemnation of Chief Brigadier MJH, an officer of the police's elite mobile brigade, for involvement in arms trafficking activities with armed Papuan criminal groups.
"I feel so sorry since the assault rifles sold to the armed Papuan criminals are used for killing civilians and security personnel, including his (the suspect's) colleagues," he notified journalists in Jayapura on Tuesday.
MJH came clean to police investigators of having delivered the rifles to another suspect, only identified as his initials as DC, a member of the Indonesian Shooting Association (Perbakin) in Nabire District, Papua Province, on seven occasions.
MJH confessed to having received between Rp10 million and Rp30 million for each of the rifles he had successfully delivered from Jakarta to DC. Thereafter, DC sold the rifles to the armed Papuan criminal groups through an ex-lawmaker in Intan Jaya District, Waterpauw revealed.
The police investigators are still on the lookout for the ex-member of the Intan Jaya District's legislative assembly, he stated, adding that an ex-army personnel, identified as FHS, also got involved in this crime.
MJH, DC, and FHS remain under the Papua police’s custody, pending further probe into the arms trafficking activities in which the selling price of each of the assault rifles was between Rp300 million and Rp350 million, he stated.
Chief Brigadier MJH, an officer of the police's elite mobile brigade, was arrested in Nabire District on October 21, 2020, along with an M16 rifle and M4 carbine.
This armed trafficking case came to light after a joint team of investigators from the National Police and TNI conducted a comprehensive probe into the recent rampant shootings by the Papuan armed criminal groups in several areas.
"At first, we faced some difficulties in uncovering the case since the arms trafficking activities are operated quite slickly, and official documents are available for the rifles and are supplied by air transport," Waterpauw revealed in his earlier statement.
Local residents recruited as couriers in the criminal acts told the joint investigators that the arms trafficking operation had been conducted six times, he remarked, adding that the police chief had been informed about this latest arms trafficking case.
Waterpauw called to comprehensively uncover the case that had tarnished the institution's image since the firearms sold to the armed criminals would endanger the lives of civilians and security personnel.
On the basis of the preliminary result of investigation, the firearms were sold to the armed criminal groups operating in Intan Jaya District. However, the investigation process is still underway, he noted.
Early this year, Waterpauw had warned his men against getting involved in arms trafficking activities with the armed criminal groups in Papua, affirming that he would take stern action against the offenders.
"There will be no pardon for those getting involved in arms trafficking activities. We are definitely sacking them. They will also be brought to court," he told journalists during his visit to Timika, the capital of Mimika District, on January 13.
Waterpauw vouched for the high level of dedication, loyalty, and reliability of police officers posted in the Indonesian province of Papua. However, he did hint at a possibility of one or two errant officers.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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