Andika Pratama, Palembang – A policeman is being sought after a video went viral showing him shooting a debt collector who was negotiating to seize his car for unpaid installments in the city of Palembang.
The South Sumatra Police on Sunday dispatched a team to arrest the troubled officer, identified as 1st Sub-Inspector FN, and have called for his surrender to facilitate interrogation.
The video depicts the officer brandishing a pistol and firing a shot, narrowly missing the target, during the altercation at a parking lot of a shopping mall in the provincial capital on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses reported that FN then resorted to using a knife to attack the victim, although this subsequent incident wasn't captured on video.
The victim, identified as Deddi Zuheransyah, is currently undergoing treatment at Siloam Hospital in Palembang for stab wounds sustained to his shoulders and arms.
Deddi's colleague, Bandi, explained that they had met with FN to persuade him to surrender his Toyota Avanza car due to his failure to repay installments since 2022.
"We work for the financing firm Adira Finance in Jakarta. Our task was to repossess the car because he has not made payments since 2022," Bandi said.
During the encounter, Deddi tried to reason with the officer to hand over his car, but the debtor responded by brandishing his gun and firing a shot. FN, who wasn't wearing his uniform, subsequently used a knife to attack Deddi before fleeing the scene, Bandi recounted.
"He had fitted the car with a fake license plate, but upon checking with the Samsat mobile app, we found that the car carries the same engine frame number as the one we were looking for," Bandi said, referring to the traffic police's vehicle registration and administration center.
"He couldn't accept our attempt to repossess the car and became agitated. He pulled out the gun and fired at Deddi, but fortunately missed," Bandi added.
The provincial police have confirmed that FN has been charged with violent assault, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, although he remains at large.
"The investigation is based on the video footage and a complaint filed by the victim's wife," said Chief Comr. Anwar Reksowidjojo, head of the criminal investigation unit with the South Sumatra Police.
"We have deployed a team in collaboration with the district police to arrest the suspect," he concluded.