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Seven bodies found in Bekasi River, police believe link to teenage brawl
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Officers of the Bekasi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) together with Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel remove one of the seven bodies found floating in the Bekasi River in Jatiasih district, Bekasi, West Java, on Sept. 22, 2024. The police are still investigating the cause of death of the male teenagers. (Antara/Rezas Ale)
T
he Jakarta Police say that seven male teenagers, whose bodies were found in the Bekasi River in West Java on Sunday, are believed to have drowned after jumping into the water to evade police arrest.
"Based on our initial investigation, these teenagers were planning to have a brawl, but they got scared when they saw officers patrolling the area and jumped into the river," Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Karyoto said as reported by Kompas.com.
He gave an assurance, however, that the police would not draw early conclusions and would investigate the case fully including by conducting autopsies on the bodies and questioning the families of the deceased.
Karyoto explained that the victims were thought to be part of a group of teenagers arrested by the Bekasi Police at the Cipendawa Industrial Complex, Bekasi, at around 3 a.m. on Saturday.
Authorities suspected that they were poised to have a brawl, particularly after finding that three of them carried bladed weapons. Police have named 15 teenagers as suspects in relation to the incident.
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The National Police’s internal affairs division (Propam) will also investigate officers who were patrolling the area and who arrested the teenagers to ensure they followed standard operating procedures.
