One officer was killed and two of his relatives injured when unknown assailants attacked their home in Yapen, Papua, at 1:30 a.m., local time, on Saturday.

Chief Brig. Jefri Sesa died from a stab wound to the stomach in the attack, which occurred when he was asleep at his residence in the Angkaisera police sub-station housing complex. 

“Around 10 perpetrators broke into the victim’s house, hitting him, his wife and a relative,” Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya said on Saturday in Jayapura.

Sumerta said that Jefri resisted before he was stabbed and that the assailants, led by a man identified as RO, made off with his police-issued Pindad SS1-V5 assault rifle.

The group then left and started shooting into the house of another police officer, Brig. Lamek Matui, before fleeing when officers responded.

Yapen Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ruddy Tan led a team that pursued the assailants, capturing one suspect, identified as YB, 20.

Sumerta said the attack was perpetrated by a group that had been extorting several companies in Serui, Yapen Island. “Authorities in the region have provided security assistance to those companies.”

Another Yapen Police officer was shot in Angkaisera on March 13 in a similar incident. 

“Security personnel will keep pursuing the group and investigating the one member who is in our custody,” Sumerta said.

On Nov. 27, 2012, a group of armed men attacked the Pirime police substation in Lanny Jaya regency, killing three police officers.