Fugitive (Most Wanted)
Credit: Dokumentasi Publik Terverifikasi / Yahukimo
Penihas “Kopi Tua” Heluka — satu orang, bukan dua tokoh; komandan operasi TPNPB-OPM Kodap XVI Yahukimo
Kopitua Heluka
Operations commander of TPNPB-OPM Kodap XVI Yahukimo, who claimed a series of executions of civilians — teachers, gold panners and workers — in Yahukimo after he escaped from Wamena prison on 25 February 2025.
Personal Dossier & Background
Date & Place of BirthBorn 3 April 2000; aged 23 when sentenced. Place of birth: no public data. Name variants: Penihas/Penehas/Penias/Kopitua/“Kopi Tua” Heluka — Indonesian sources (Kompas.id 22 Feb 2026, Tribunnews 16 Jan 2026, Jubi 27 Feb 2025) say these are all the same person.
Tribe & Regional OriginHeluka clan, from Yahukimo regency, Highland Papua. No source names his specific ethnic group.
Family Background / ParentsKopitua Heluka serves as field operations commander under Elkius Kobak (Pangkodap XVI Yahukimo), directing sector officers Tendinus Gwijangge (Kali Ei) and Bocor Sobolim (Koroway).
Educational BackgroundRegistered as a student at Sam Ratulangi University (Unsrat) in Manado, Faculty of Forestry, enrolled 2018, status inactive (PDDikti data via Tribunnews, 16 January 2026). No public source records his primary or secondary schooling.
Position / RoleKodap operations officer (16 Feb 2022) → operations commander (Apr 2023) → Yamue battalion (2024) → operations commander of Kodap XVI (2025-2026).
Latest Legal StatusArrested 19 May 2023, sentenced to 13 years on 7 February 2024, escaped from Wamena prison on 25 February 2025 and returned to the field. Wanted by Yahukimo police since the Brigpol Usdar case (29 Nov 2022). Police colonel Yusuf Sutejo: “Why is the armed group more intense in Yahukimo this year? Because on 25 February 2025 one of their leading figures, Kopi Tua Heluka, escaped from Wamena prison.”
Dossier sourcesKompas.id (EN) — Kopitua Heluka, also known as Penihas Heluka (22 Feb 2026) · Tribunnews — nama asli Mayor Kopi Tua Heluka adalah Penihas Heluka (16 Jan 2026) · Tribratanews Polri — Penihas Heluka alias Kopi Tua Heluka (23 tahun), 12 Feb 2024 · Jubi — Penehas Heluka kembali bergabung dengan Kodap XVI Yahukimo (27 Feb 2025)
Photographic Evidence of Crimes & Terror
School buildings in Dekai targeted by intimidation and damage, halting learning activities in Yahukimo.
Credit: Dokumentasi Publik Yahukimo
Memorial ceremony for a civilian schoolteacher executed by the armed faction in Yahukimo under baseless spy claims.
Credit: Dokumentasi TerbukaTrack Record of Crimes & Threats
- Fatal execution of school teachers in Dekai, Yahukimo (October 2026 and February 2026).
- Publicly issued death threats against carpenters, taxi drivers, motorcycle taxi riders, food vendors, and grocery store owners.
- Repeated ambushes and murders of traditional artisanal gold panners at Kali Bonto and Seredala Road.
- Shootings targeting commercial passenger airliners (Wings Air & Trigana Air) on approach to Dekai Airport.
- Extorts forced illegal levies and carries out bloody assaults against artisanal gold miners (both local Papuans and migrants) along Kali Ei, Seradala, and the Brazza River corridor.
- Constructs multi-layered observation posts and ambush lines to terrorize civilians and transport vehicles along the Dekai highway.
Documented Losses & Civilian Damage
Fatalities: At least 15 unarmed civilians (teachers, vendors, gold panners) killed
Displacement: Hundreds of small merchants and teachers evacuated to security centers or fled Dekai
Public Facilities: SMPN Koasrama school building burned, shops destroyed, regional utility flights grounded