Palembang. A dispute over illegal payments from cockfighting operators may have been the motive behind the fatal shootings of three police officers in Lampung, a military spokesman said in a recent interview.

Two low-ranking Army soldiers have been detained in connection with the March 17 incident in Way Kanan Regency, Lampung Province. However, the Indonesian Military has not yet confirmed whether the two are the suspected gunmen.

“According to their statements, the cockfighting operators offered regular payments. There was money involved,” said Colonel Eko Syah Putra Siregar, spokesman for the Sriwijaya Regional Military Command, during an interview in Palembang, South Sumatra.

He declined to disclose the amount of the alleged payments or name the suspected recipients but said the soldiers claimed the local police station was considered a “partner” by the cockfighting operators.

In a related development, investigators have recovered a rifle allegedly used in the shootings.

“The rifle, which had previously been reported missing, was found after being discarded by one of the soldiers involved. We located it based on witness testimony,” Eko said.

The firearm is a 5.56-mm caliber rifle, a type commonly used by both military and police personnel, he added.

The two detained soldiers admitted to using the rifle during the attacks, Eko said. The weapon was found in a swamp roughly six kilometers from the crime scene, following a joint investigation by the military and police.

Forensic teams also discovered bullet casings of three different calibers at the crime scene, suggesting multiple weapons were used.

Autopsy reports revealed that the victims were deliberately shot in their vital organs, indicating an intent to kill during the incident, which occurred in Karang Manik Village, Negara Batin District.

According to police, the officers were shot while conducting a raid on an illegal cockfighting operation.

The victims were identified as Adjunct Commissioner Lusiyanto, who was shot in the right side of the chest; 2nd Sub-Inspector Petrus Aprianto, shot in the left eye; and 1st Brigadier Ghalib Surya Nanta, who was shot in the mouth.

Initial findings suggest that at least two soldiers assigned to the Negara Batin military post may have been involved in the attack.