Indonesian police are still trying to establish whether five men in uniforms arrested for alleged involvement in a people-smuggling operation are actually members of the Indonesian military.
"They wore military fatigues, but we are still investigating if they are real TNI members," said a spokesman for the West Java Police, Senior Commissioner Martinus Sitompul.
The asylum seekers were arrested in Ciwaru village, Ciemas district in Sukabumi regency, West Java at around 3am on July 18, Mr Sitompul said.
They were in three cars and were found after local residents tipped off police.
They were captured on Ciwaru beach and taken to the Immigration Office in Sukabumi regency in West Java, Mr Sitompul said.
The investigation was being carried out by "the local military office" and, "We haven't received any information from them yet."
The military in Indonesia receives only about 30 per cent of its budget from government funding, and must make up the rest with private enterprises, which include both legitimate and criminal businesses. Local sources say it's not surprising that one of those businesses may include people smuggling.
