P

apua Governor Lukas Enembe is expecting the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police to capture the perpetrators who shot and killed three police officers at the Sinak Police station in Puncak, Papua.

'€œThis is an armed crime. I hope the TNI and police are able to arrest the perpetrators,'€ Enembe emphasized on Tuesday.

Besides killing TNI and police officers, armed criminals, added Lukas, often intimidated residents, seized crops and livestock as well as abducting girls. '€œThey are bandits who must be dealt with sternly,'€ he said.

Enembe also hoped that those TNI and police personnel performing their duties in the area would remain cautious because armed civilian groups were still present.

Like Enembe, Puncak Regent Willem Wandik is also expecting the TNI and police to pursue the perpetrators of the Sunday shooting and promptly bring them to justice.

According to Wandik, the group that attacked, shot and killed three members of the police force at the Sinak Police station had been led by Alegagak Murib and Kalenak Murib and assisted by the Aleka Telenggen group based in Yambi, Puncak Jaya regency.

The Alegagak group, based in Ilaga, is believed to have collaborated with a person identified as DK, who has been working as an aide at the Sinak Police station for four years, to attack the police station and seize firearms.

Wandik said the group had also attacked police'€™s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members in Ilaga in December 2014 as they were securing a Christmas service.

The firearms seized on that occasion were used in the attack on the Sinak Police station.

The criminal group roaming Puncak regency and surrounding areas, said Wandik, was very disturbing to the development process because they threatened residents and caused unrest.

'€œFor every single firearm, approximately 30 people follow behind, now they have many firearms so just imagine the number of followers,'€ said Wandik.

'€œHow can we develop the region if the groups continue to disturb security. We have planned development, but we are confused by these criminal acts,'€ Wandik said in Jayapura on Tuesday.

Residents in Sinak, added Wandik, also condemned the shooting and have said they would help security forces to fight the bandits.

'€œNow, residents are backed by the TNI and police they have initiated plans to resist the unlawful group,'€ said Wandik.

The bodies of the three police officers shot and killed by the armed civilian group at the Sinak Police station have been handed over to their families.

Another incident also took place in Sinak on Feb. 21, 2013, when seven TNI personnel and four civilians were shot and killed.

The TNI soldiers had been heading to the Ilaga airfield to pick up telecommunication equipment when they were attacked by an armed group.