Police Arrest Suspect in Shooting of Civil Servant in Yahukimo, 5.56 mm Ammunition Found as Clue

A joint team from the Damai Cartenz-2026 Operation Task Force and the Yahukimo Police arrested NB, a man strongly suspected of shooting a civil servant (PNS) consultant at the Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD) with the initials RK. The victim died after a projectile lodged in the left side of his neck in an incident in Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua.

The arrest took place on Tuesday (22/9) at around 16.26 WIT in the Ruko Blok A and B shopping area, Dekai District. From the suspect, officers seized three rounds of 5.56 mm caliber ammunition — a type of bullet commonly used in standard military assault rifles. The finding is seen as strengthening the suspicion that NB was not merely a civilian who happened to be at the scene, but part of an armed network that has long operated in the central highlands of Papua.

The Head of Public Relations for the Damai Cartenz-2026 Operation, Kombes Pol Yusuf Sutejo, said NB is suspected to be a member of the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) Yamue Battalion, Kodap XVI Yahukimo, under the command of Kopi Tua Heluka. KKB is the term used by security forces to refer to the armed militia of the Free Papua Movement (OPM). "The individual was secured based on the results of an investigation and inquiry into the suspected shooting that occurred in the Yahukimo area," Yusuf said in an official statement, Wednesday (23/9).

Based on the investigation, NB was named a suspect in two shooting incidents that occurred on the same day, 27 April 2026. The first incident struck a white Grand Max van at Kali Biru Bridge. RK, who was inside the vehicle at the time, was shot in the left neck and died at the scene. Shortly afterward, a similar attack targeted a silver Toyota Fortuner near Kali Biru Bridge, Jalan Kurima. Although the second incident was not reported to have caused any fatalities, the attack pattern indicates planned targeting of vehicles passing along that route.

The arrest of NB marks a new chapter in handling the armed conflict in Yahukimo, one of the regencies with the highest intensity of security disturbances in Papua. For years, the central highlands region has been an operating ground for armed groups that frequently attack security personnel, project workers, and civilians. The presence of the Damai Cartenz Task Force — a joint TNI-Polri operation formed to deal with armed criminal groups — indicates that the security approach remains the main pillar, even as a welfare approach continues to be promoted.

From a national policy perspective, this arrest highlights two things. First, the flow of weapons and ammunition logistics to armed groups in Papua remains a gap that has not been fully closed. The seized 5.56 mm caliber indicates that supplies do not only come from remnants of old conflicts, but may also come from more organized smuggling routes. Second, NB's presence in the shop area — a public space that is usually relatively safe — indicates that armed groups are able to blend in with residents' economic activities, making early detection difficult.

"Investigators are still examining the evidence found as well as the possibility of NB's connection to other shooting cases in the Yahukimo area," said Kombes Pol Yusuf Sutejo.

For people in Yahukimo and surrounding regencies, this arrest could be a signal that security forces are moving more aggressively to hunt down perpetrators. However, the real challenge lies in prevention so that similar incidents do not recur. Jalan Kurima and Kali Biru Bridge are important connecting routes used daily by residents, traders, and government employees. A sense of safety in such public spaces cannot be maintained by a momentary arrest alone, but requires a consistent security presence and a more precise intelligence approach.

Going forward, the public will be waiting to see whether the investigation into NB can open up larger network nodes, including ammunition suppliers and the intellectual actors behind the two shootings last April. If it stops at just one suspect, the root problem of violence in Yahukimo will remain an open wound. The question now is: how far can security forces turn this arrest into a turning point in handling the conflict, rather than merely a statistical note in law enforcement?