Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Central Papua's Mimika District Police confirmed that the election monitoring officer reportedly missing since February 11, 2024, was found alive in Mimika forest on Wednesday (February 28).

Mimika Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner I Gede Putra stated that the missing officer was identified as Daud Kudiai, who was reportedly last seen abruptly leaving a pre-election meeting with local officials and walking towards a jungle on February 11.

"The missing person was found 500 metres from the spot where witnesses reported seeing him for the last time," Putra noted in a written statement received here on Thursday.

He explained that the joint search team dispatched to locate Kudiai comprised military and police officers, Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) officers, and SAR officers.

Putra stated that the missing person was found wandering the forest without clothes. Lacerations were visible on some parts of his body, he added.

After being found, the search team immediately brought the victim to the Potowai Buru Public Health Centre for health checks, he remarked.

Related news: Bawaslu involves local officials to trace missing officer in Mimika

The police chief said that the victim was found in a frail health condition with anaemia, hyperthermia with a body temperature reaching 39 degrees Celsius, blood pressure of 127/89 mmHg, and heart rate of 139 beats per minute.

"The victim will be brought to Timika for further health checks," Putra stated.

On Tuesday (February 27), General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) chief Rahmat Bagja stated that the election recapitulation process is still underway in Mimika District, while the search operation for the missing officer is ongoing.

Commissioner Herwyn J. H. Malonda also remarked that the district's Bawaslu office had coordinated with local officials to search for the missing officer.

The family of the missing official had joined the search team on February 18-22, 2024. However, the search at that time had yielded no result, he stated.

Translator: Evarukdijati, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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