Fatal Brawl in Semarang's Banyumanik Kills Teen; Police Detain 9 Students

Nine students have been detained in connection with a brawl in Banyumanik, Semarang, that killed a 16-year-old boy, Central Java Police said. Kombes Nunuk Setiyowati, the provincial police director for women's and child protection, told reporters on Monday that the nine came from the two groups that faced off during the incident. According to Nunuk, five of those held belong to the GPU group, which she described as the victim's side, while the others were from the IB group, which she identified as the alleged perpetrators.

The fight broke out on Sunday on Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan in Banyumanik. Nunuk said the two groups of teenagers had apparently agreed in advance to clash near the road's roundabout. As the IB group passed in front of RS Banyumanik 2, they spotted members of the GPU group near an alley beside the hospital, turned their vehicles around and launched an attack, she said.

During the confrontation, a teenager identified by the initials KPA, 18, is suspected of striking the victim, 16-year-old FFK, in the head with a sharp weapon, causing him to fall, according to the police account. A parking attendant at RS Banyumanik 2 heard the commotion, went to the scene and took the victim to the hospital's emergency unit. Despite treatment by the duty doctor, the boy could not be saved and was pronounced dead.

Investigators have collected a range of evidence, including six klewang-style machetes, a bow with arrows, two golf clubs, two mobile phones, two helmets, two jackets, CCTV recordings and a motorcycle. Police have also questioned three witnesses so far to piece together the sequence of events, including people from both groups believed to have taken part.

Nunuk said the case is being pursued as physical violence against a child resulting in death, and alternatively as assault or a group attack causing death. The investigation is continuing, with further questioning expected as authorities work to establish the roles of everyone involved.