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Police release passenger carrying shell casings at Surabaya airport
Officials mistook 400 shell casings that the passenger was carrying for bullets.
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The departure hall of Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java. (Shutterstock /Sirintra Pumsopa)
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passenger who had been arrested for carrying 400 bullets at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya was released after the authorities discovered they were only shell casings.
“He is no longer under arrest because [he carried] only bullet casings, not ammunition,” East Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Frans Barung told The Jakarta Post over text messaging.
The 36-year-old resident of Bukit Pakis Utara, Surabaya, was arrested at the airport after going through an X-ray machine that revealed the metal objects, triggering a more thorough search by airport security officers.
During the search, five packages wrapped in tape and containing the 400 shell casings that the officers first thought were bullets were found inside his clothing.
The man, who had flown with three family members from Taiwan on China Airlines, claimed to have purchased the shell casings in Oregon, United States, during a vacation. The man changed planes in Singapore before landing at Juanda, Frans said.
“He is a member of the Perbakin [Indonesian Shooting Association],” Frans said.
Law No. 12/1951 on emergencies stipulates that unauthorized people found guilty of carrying firearms, ammunition, or any kind of explosive to Indonesia can be punished with the death penalty. However, the law does not cover shell casings. (gis)
