The bullets, packed in a plastic bag, were found by a scavenger named Ilham Jafar inside an unused backpack in the dumpsite area, Abepura Police Chief Adjunct Commissioner Lintong Simanjuntak stated.
On Thursday, Jafar reported his discovery to a police patrol unit in the Tanah Hitam neighborhood area and to the Abepura police precinct for investigation, he noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here, Friday.
The firearm ammunition comprises 50 HS bullets, 31 FN bullets, one V2 bullet, and three handgun bullets, he said, adding that he highly lauded Jafar for his initiative to hand over the ammunition.
"We praise the resident because the bullets are dangerous if they are misused," he added.
ANTARA noted that on December 31, 2019, that Hendra, a 17-year-old operator of a backhoe at a dumpsite in Iwaka Sub-district, Mimika District, Papua Province, had also discovered a weaponry, packed in a plastic bag.
According to Hendra's colleague, the weaponry was carried by a Mimika District Government-owned garbage truck bearing license plate DS 9593 MA.
Ten bullets were found on December 31, 2019, while 50 others along with two GLMs were discovered on January 1, 2020. The weaponry had been handed over to the Papua Police headquarters' Battalion B of Mobile Brigade Unit.
Investigators from the Indonesian police and military in Mimika then probed the discovery of the 60 bullets and two active grenade launcher modules (GLMs).
At that time, Mimika Police Chief I Gusti Era Adhinata noted that the ammunition and GLMs belonged to the military and police.
The joint team of investigators traced the origins of the ammunition and GLMs and uncovered the identity of the person or persons who could have taken them out of the weapon storage facility, Adhinata stated.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
