Second gun find in Bali murder inquiry

Bali Police have extended the investigation period into the alleged murder of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic last month, after investigators found a second gun believed to have been used in the attack.

Zivan Radmanovic. Picture: Facebook

Bali Police have extended the investigation period into the alleged murder of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic last month, after investigators found a second gun believed to have been used in the attack.

Radmanovic and Sanar Ghanim were shot at a villa in the south of the resort island in the early hours of June 13, in an attack suspected to be linked to Melbourne’s underworld. Radmanovic, 32, died at the scene while Ghanim, 34, survived after being shot in the leg and beaten.

Badung Police Chief Arif Batubara said on Monday that the investigation period would be extended for the three Australian men arrested over the attack.

Midolmore Pasa Tupou, 27, Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, and Mevlut Coskun, 22, were arrested after an international manhunt as they tried to flee to Cambodia on flights via Singapore.

“The investigation continues, particularly into the motive behind this case in Bali, which remains unclear,” Batubara said. “As of now, after 20 days of investigation, the motive has not yet been identified.”

Under Indonesian law, suspects can be detained for an initial period of up to 20 days for investigation. This detention can be extended by 40 days with the public prosecutor’s approval.

When asked about whether the three suspects had confessed to the crime, Batubara said the investigation process had not reached that point.

“We are proceeding step-by-step from the suspects’ arrival in Indonesia to their movements through East Java,” he said.

“Confessions, if any, will most likely be clarified toward the end of the investigation, just before the pre-reconstruction.”

Police have questioned 25 to 30 witnesses in Bali and East Java, and have reported 19 bullet casings were found at the crime scene.

Investigators found a 9mm caliber pistol dumped alongside two magazines containing bullets and an empty magazine in a river in Tabanan, about 700m from the crime scene.

“Further investigation led us to believe that two firearms were used by the perpetrators,” Bali Police spokesman Ariasandy said on Monday.

“Based on that, we conducted another search, and on July 8 investigators discovered a second pistol, which we strongly suspect was also used in the murder.”

The second gun was found roughly 50 metres from the first, with recent heavy rains likely shifting the weapon downstream, police said.

Ariasandy said forensic tests on a balaclava and gloves found at the crime scene showed DNA evidence that matches one of the suspects currently in custody.

“The DNA on both the balaclava and the gloves is identical to that suspect,” he said.

An autopsy revealed Radmanovic died from a gunshot wound to his heart. Additional wounds were found on his abdomen, hand, buttocks and face, with signs of blunt force trauma across his body.

Under Indonesian law, premeditated murder carries a maximum punishment of the death penalty.