A special police team has been formed to investigate yesterday’s assault on a member of Bali Police’s elite Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit at an upscale resort in Jimbaran.
Brigadier Bagus Suda Suwarna was found knocked out at a motorcycle parking garage at the Ayana Resort & Spa around 11:20 am, yesterday. Discovered by a security guard at the resort, Suwarna was unconscious and his gun was missing.
“There was a bruise on the left side of his face, his eyes were red, and he had vomited blood,” Indonesian National Police Headquarters spokesman, Sr. Comr. Matinus Sitompul said.
The brigadier is still in the hospital and his condition is closely being monitored, police told reporters.
Sitompul confirmed the assault and said that the brigadier’s AK-101 rifle with a magazine containing three blank bullets and 27 rubber bullets had been taken.
Now a joint police team, comprising of officers from Propam (Internal Affairs Division), Brimob, Reskrim (Criminal Investigation Unit), and Intel departments is on the case—though the assailant has not yet been identified and the missing weapon has not yet been found.
The police spokesman said that Suwarna was allegedly attacked when resting at the Rimba hotel, in the Ayana Resort complex that spans some 90 hectares of cliff-top perched over Jimbaran Bay. Suwarna had reportedly been assigned to guard the area.
CCTV footage captured Suwarna coming to the garage after taking a lunch break, but the actual spot in the garage where he had been attacked did not have cameras set up, police say.
A police line has been set up around spot where Suwarna was attacked and forensic investigators have been examining the scene for clues.
When asked whether the assailant could be a terrorist, Denpasar Police Chief Comr. Hadi Purnomo said it’s too soon to speculate.
“We do not know yet, we are are still deepening,” he said.
Law enforcement in Indonesia has become increasingly popular targets for terrorists in recent years, the latest, a deadly suicide bombing in Jakarta at a busy bus terminal killing three policemen in May 2017.
Bali Police ordered Jembrana municipal police to conduct intensive vehicle checks—Jembrana’s Port of Gilimanuk in West Bali is the main point of transit between Bali and Java.
Meanwhile, Ayana says the hotel is cooperating closely with police.
“It is the first occurrence of its kind to take place in close proximity of the resort, as a result both AYANA and the local police are treating the incident with the severity in which it deserves,” the resort said in a statement, issued to Coconuts Bali.
“Safety is always our first priority, and while we are confident that this will not have a direct impact on our team and guests, naturally we have increased our already high security measures within the resort.
“We are continuing to work with the Police, Hotel and Travel partners in supplying the necessary information required to maintain the safety of all hotels in Bali.”
Reader Interactions