996 Weapons Seized at South Jakarta School as Police Examine Ownership and Student Safety

Hundreds of air guns and a shotgun found on school grounds

Police in South Jakarta seized 996 weapons from a room at the Harapan Ibu Islamic School Foundation complex in Pondok Pinang, Kebayoran Lama, after new management began clearing a space previously used by the foundation's former chair. The collection included 995 air guns and one 12 gauge Franchi SPAS15 shotgun.

The discovery on Friday, August 7, also included suspected narcotics and 25 pornographic CDs. Police said the air guns comprised four rifles, 215 pistols and 776 revolvers, all of 4.5mm caliber. The shotgun was reportedly linked to a man who died in 2020.

The former foundation chair, identified as IW or IWD, has been summoned for questioning. As of August 11, authorities had not announced why the weapons were stored at the private Islamic school or whether students could enter the room. No injuries have been reported, and police have not announced any planned attack targeting the school.

The immediate concern is the location of such a large collection near classrooms and other facilities used by children. The foundation moved lessons online for a week across its South Jakarta schools while police examined the premises. Indonesia's Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifah Fauzi urged adults to keep students' welfare separate from the investigation and the dispute between former and current management.

What police found inside the room

Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto provided the breakdown of the weapons and confirmed that investigators had summoned the former chair. He said the shotgun had belonged to a deceased man. Describing the remaining weapons, Hermanto said:

As for the other 995, they comprise four 4.5mm air rifles, 215 air pistols of 4.5mm caliber, and 776 air revolvers of 4.5mm caliber.

The figures put the scale of the discovery in perspective. Air pistols and revolvers together accounted for 991 of the 996 weapons, with four air rifles and the shotgun making up the rest. Police therefore face an inquiry involving hundreds of individual items, their ownership and their licensing records.

The suspected narcotics and pornographic CDs add further matters for investigators to examine. Any investigation into those items may proceed separately, depending on laboratory results and the applicable law. The substance described as suspected narcotics still requires examination.

A change in management led to the discovery

The foundation's new management found the weapons while clearing a room previously used by its former chair. IW, also identified as IWD, had reportedly been dismissed in April amid allegations of misuse of foundation funds. Those allegations have not been resolved in court.

The former chair reportedly still had keys to the room despite his removal. That makes control of the space part of the inquiry, alongside questions about who owned the weapons and how they reached the school.

The sequence of events connects a management change with the discovery and the response that followed:

• In 2020, the man reportedly linked to the Franchi SPAS15 shotgun died.
• In April, the former foundation chair was reportedly dismissed amid allegations of misuse of foundation funds.
• On Friday, August 7, new management discovered the weapons while clearing the room he had used.
• By August 11, police had summoned the former chair, and the foundation had moved lessons online for one week while areas of the campus were examined.

Untung Sangaji, a foundation board member, said management was shocked when the room was opened. He said the foundation did not know why weapons were being stored at an educational facility:

When we opened the room, we found the weapons. We have no idea why they were being kept on school grounds.

Sangaji described the weapons as dangerous. His explanation about their design has not been independently confirmed by police.

Competing accounts of ownership and school use

A company linked to the Indonesian Shooting Association initially said the weapons were used for sports and school extracurricular activities. A lawyer representing the former chair also said the weapons were licensed and intended for school use.

The foundation's lawyer disputed that explanation, saying the school had never operated a shooting extracurricular program. The disagreement puts both the intended use of the collection and its connection to school activities at the center of the police inquiry.

Investigators will need to determine whether the weapons were registered, who controlled them and whether any were moved, sold or used. Checking licensing records and tracing ownership will help establish how the collection came to be stored in a room associated with the former chair.

The quantity is unusual: hundreds of pistols and revolvers were found together, rather than a small number of items associated with recreational use. The competing statements about sports and school activities remain claims that police must examine alongside the physical evidence.

Why air guns require careful storage

Air guns use compressed air or another gas to fire pellets. They are often used for target practice and sports. Conventional firearms use explosive ammunition, so the way the two types of weapon work is different, and their legal status can also differ.

A pellet fired at close range can cause serious injury, especially to the eyes, head or chest. The level of danger depends on the weapon's power, the ammunition and the distance from the target. Safe storage and controlled access are required wherever large numbers of these weapons are kept.

The school setting makes access especially important. Removing the seized items addresses the collection already found, while inspections of other rooms and checks on keys and access records are needed to account for spaces used by adults near facilities used by children.

Minister urges protection of students' privacy

Arifah Fauzi, Indonesia's Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister, called on authorities, school officials and the public to protect children from the consequences of the case. She said students should neither be blamed nor exposed to unnecessary attention while police investigate.

Officials introducing the minister's position said the investigation must proceed without drawing students into the dispute between the foundation's former and current management. Fauzi placed responsibility for protecting children's privacy and psychological well being with the adults handling the response:

Children must not bear the burden of an issue that is beyond their responsibility. Let us protect their privacy and psychological well being, so that they can continue learning in a comfortable environment.

Fauzi urged the school to keep education running as normally as possible, inspect every room and facility on the campus, and strengthen supervision. Her comments bring together two immediate needs: making the premises safe and limiting disruption to children's education.

The minister also said the government respected the police investigation and would not prejudge the legal process. Questions about ownership and how the weapons reached the school remain for investigators, while student protection is an immediate responsibility.

Online lessons while more rooms await inspection

The foundation moved lessons online for one week across its South Jakarta schools, citing student safety. Parents reportedly supported the temporary arrangement while police examined areas that may have been used to store prohibited or dangerous items.

Foundation representatives said other rooms remained locked and required inspection. One was described as resembling a bunker, but authorities have not disclosed its contents. Lawyers for the foundation urged police to secure and clear areas whose contents were still unknown.

Remote learning reduces students' immediate contact with a potentially unsafe site. It also disrupts routines for children, teachers and families. Fauzi's call for inspections with as little educational disruption as possible reflects both concerns.

A safe return to campus requires more than removing the weapons already seized. School officials will need to account for keys, storage areas and access records, while police determine whether additional evidence remains on the premises. Clear communication with families is also among the immediate priorities.

Other weapons investigations and a school campus explosion

Authorities elsewhere in Indonesia have recently investigated weapons in different settings. In Bali, a suspect accused of selling illegal firearms was arrested, and authorities seized a homemade handgun, ammunition and a soft gun.

In Central Papua, a joint military and police patrol confiscated machetes, an air rifle, a bow and arrows, and slingshots. Those investigations involve different locations and security concerns. They illustrate the range of firearms, air guns and bladed weapons whose movement authorities continue to monitor.

Safety concerns have also been heightened by violence at sites connected to schools. In a separate Jakarta incident, an explosion at a mosque inside a school campus injured at least 55 people. Police reported finding suspected explosive device parts and weapons during that investigation.

At Harapan Ibu, the issue confronting police is how a collection of nearly 1,000 weapons came to be stored in a room connected to an educational facility. For school leaders, the immediate task is to secure the premises while keeping children out of the adult disputes surrounding the discovery.

Calls for an investigation based on evidence

Lawmaker Adang Daradjatun called for a transparent and objective investigation. He urged investigators to rely on evidence rather than public opinion or conflicts between people connected to the foundation:

The law enforcement process must not be influenced by public opinion or conflicts between the parties involved. Investigators should work based on facts and evidence so that the outcome provides legal certainty and a sense of justice for all parties.

Police are expected to examine the weapons, verify licensing records, trace ownership and question people who had access to the room. These steps address the central disagreements about whether the collection was licensed, who controlled it and whether it had any role in school activities.

Students and parents need secure facilities, clear information and protection from publicity while that work proceeds. Officials have said children's education and welfare should remain separate from criminal or financial allegations involving adults.

Key Points

• Police seized 996 weapons at the Harapan Ibu Islamic School Foundation complex in South Jakarta after a room was opened on August 7.
• The collection comprised four air rifles, 215 air pistols, 776 air revolvers and one 12 gauge Franchi SPAS15 shotgun.
• Suspected narcotics and 25 pornographic CDs were also found.
• The former foundation chair, identified as IW or IWD, has been summoned for questioning.
• Claims that the weapons were licensed and used for school activities are disputed by the foundation's lawyer.
• The foundation moved lessons online for one week while inspections continued, with other locked rooms still requiring checks.
• Minister Arifah Fauzi urged protection of students' privacy, psychological well being and continued education.
• No injuries have been reported in the school weapons case.