The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) has brought forth a significant development in the investigation of the brutal acid attack on KontraS Deputy Coordinator, Andrie Yunus. TAUD recently revealed alleged additional evidence: a distinctive purple tumbler suspected of being the container used by the perpetrator to carry the corrosive acid.
Airlangga Julio, a legal counsel representing TAUD, elaborated on this crucial finding during a press conference held at the YLBHI Office in Jakarta on Monday, March 16. “We have found a bottle believed to have been used to splash acid on Andri Yunus. The bottle is purple and it could well be a tumbler due to its thick construction,” Julio stated, emphasizing the potential importance of the item to the ongoing acid attack investigation.
Intriguingly, this vital piece of evidence was not initially recovered by police at the crime scene. Instead, it was first discovered by an independent witness shortly after the incident. The witness subsequently handed the purple tumbler over to TAUD’s legal team, who then facilitated its submission to investigators from the Metro Jaya Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit (Resmob).
Julio explained the discovery process further: “If you observe the CCTV footage, you can see what appears to be a bottle discarded from the suspected perpetrator’s motorbike. This was not initially found by the police team, but was discovered by a witness on the ground, and we then handed it over to the Metro Jaya Police Resmob team.” Given its belated discovery and direct link to the attack, Julio underscored the paramount importance of subjecting this evidence to thorough forensic examination as part of a comprehensive scientific crime investigation.
Beyond the tumbler, TAUD has also raised a compelling suspicion: the perpetrator themselves might have sustained injuries from acid splashes during the attack. This theory stems from several observations at the scene, including the perpetrator’s alleged decision to discard both the bottle and their helmet immediately after the incident. “From these two points—the bottle likely discarded by the perpetrator and the perpetrator removing their helmet—we suspect that the perpetrator might also have been injured by the acid they themselves splashed,” Julio posited.
Julio further questioned the perpetrator’s logic in discarding their helmet while fleeing, an action that inherently risks exposing their identity to surveillance cameras. “Why would they discard their own helmet if it wasn’t possible that the helmet also got splashed with acid and injured their head?” he questioned, suggesting a plausible motive for such a risky action. Consequently, TAUD has urged law enforcement to broaden their inquiry, specifically investigating the possibility that the perpetrator sought medical attention after the incident, particularly if they indeed suffered injuries from the acid splashes.
In a related development, police had previously confirmed securing a black helmet believed to belong to the perpetrator of the acid attack on Andrie Yunus. This helmet was reportedly found on Jalan Salemba 1, Central Jakarta, following the incident on Thursday, March 12. Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief, Kombes Pol Reynold Hutagalung, announced on March 16 that the helmet was discovered along Jalan Salemba 1, in the direction of RSCM Hospital.
Reynold emphatically affirmed the helmet’s authenticity as belonging to the perpetrator, stating that its appearance was consistent with CCTV footage depicting the assailant wearing a helmet. “This is consistent with CCTV footage that the perpetrator riding used that helmet,” Reynold confirmed. The recovered black helmet has since been transferred to the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) for in-depth analysis. The investigation into the helmet commenced on Sunday, March 15.
Detailing the forensic efforts, Reynold specified that on March 15, 2026, the suspected perpetrator’s helmet was sent to Pusinafis (Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System Center) within Bareskrim to extract fingerprints. Furthermore, the helmet was also submitted to the National Police’s Forensic Laboratory Center (Puslabfor) to undergo DNA examination. “To Puslabfor Polri to obtain DNA believed to belong to the perpetrator,” Reynold reiterated, underscoring the critical role of these tests in identifying the assailant.
Meanwhile, the Director of General Criminal Investigation of the Metro Jaya Police, Kombes Pol Iman Imanudin, updated the public on the current status of the pursuit. He confirmed that the perpetrator remains at large and that police have not yet resorted to coercive measures. “As of today, we have not taken any coercive actions. We are still continuously gathering legal facts based on CCTV analysis and communication networks,” Imanudin stated, highlighting their methodical approach.
Police continue to conduct extensive forensic laboratory tests on all evidence collected from the scene, including the perpetrator’s suspected helmet and the container believed to have held the chemical liquid. Imanudin expressed the investigators’ strong hope that these examinations will yield vital fingerprints or DNA, which would significantly aid in the identification process of the individual responsible for this heinous crime. The Metro Jaya Police urge anyone with information pertinent to this incident to come forward. Reports can be made at the command post located in the lobby of the Metro Jaya Police General Criminal Investigation Directorate, or via call center 110 and hotline 0812-8559-9191.