A group of youths armed with wooden beams surrounded and threatened a pair of Bali police officers whilst they were carrying out patrol duties in the Kerobokan area yesterday.
A total of 14 personnel were involved in the security patrol, which was carried out as a result of reports of thuggish behavior in the neighborhood.
One unlucky pair, identified as Ismaji and Purwoko, came across a drunken party in front of a boarding house. When they approached the six youths, who had been glugging tuak (cheap Balinese palm wine), they were met with hostility.
After introducing themselves as police officers and berating the group for causing a drunken scene, the quarrel kicked off.
First, the youths demanded to see the pair’s ID, apparently not convinced that they were really police officers. On producing the relevant docs, one of the gang—identified as Kristoforus Gangga, 27—snatched them away, according to a report by Bali Post.
Gannga reportedly dragged Ismaji until he almost lost his footing, and continued to pick on the officer by refusing to return his ID, apparently still doubtful of his position. Meanwhile, another of the youths, 25-year old Maksimus Lado, lifted Ismaji’s motorbike and rode it into the boarding house.
By this time, the whole group, armed with wooden beams, had encircled the pair. Concerned for their safety, both officers started to apologize, but the crew of thugs persisted.
Kristoforus, who had apparently taken a particular dislike to Ismaji, even gestured towards the officer to fight, according to the source.
Now desperate, the officers somehow managed to call for help via a cellphone, which was immediately confiscated by the gang.
Luckily, the call got through and a few minutes later a colleague, identified as “Police Inspector Ferlanda,” arrived on the scene. Kristoforus reportedly lashed out at Ferlanda, grabbing him by the neck and provoking him to fire a warning shot into the air.
The sound of the shot attracted local residents to the crime scene, where things got even more heated.
With the help of the village leaders, officers were eventually able to diffuse the situation, ordering the gang into the boarding house where they seized axes, large knives, wooden beams, rifles and bottles of tuak, according to the report by Tribun Bali.
The perpetrators had reportedly been carrying out threatening behavior in the neighborhood for quite some time and police are still on the lookout for other gang members.
Meanwhile, the six men caught yesterday, namely Maksimus Lado, 25, Alfreth Tupu, 24, Umbo Domu Ninggeding, 31, Kristofonus Gangga, 27, Fardan Teo, 29, and Derius Hambabamyu, 25, have been arrested.
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