Sixteen migrant workers murdered<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Police are stepping up their hunt for the linchpin of a gang
\naccused of the grisly murders of 16 female migrant workers in
\nEast Java, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
To capture the province's most-wanted man, known only as Yudi,
\nSurabaya Police had alerted police forces throughout East Java
\nand Bali, chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Arbaridi Jumhur said.<\/p>\n
Other fugitives in the gang include Yika, Yudi's wife; Rouf
\nand Mat, while two other suspects, Andik and Boy were arrested on
\nSunday. The two, who police say confessed to carrying out 16
\nmurders with the gang during the past two years, are now in
\npolice custody pending prosecution.<\/p>\n
The alleged murders came to light after a returned migrant
\nworker who escaped from the gang was found in a sugar cane
\nplantation in Prambon, Sidoarjo, early last month with bruises to
\nher neck and face. After receiving hospital treatment, Ester
\nBaniwine of West Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, talked to police
\ninvestigators on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n
Based on Ester's statement, police captured Andik and Boy at a
\nhousing estate in Sidoarjo but four other suspects escaped.<\/p>\n
During questioning, Andik and Boy told police they had been
\noperating for more than a year and had killed 16 migrant workers.
\nMoney was the main reason they killed the workers, who had
\nreturned to the country from the Middle East, Singapore or
\nMalaysia, police said.<\/p>\n
The confessions led police to recover and identify the bodies
\nof two women -- Masri, 33, of Central Lombok regency and another
\nperson identified only as Sisilia. Their bodies were found in
\nWaru district, Sidoarjo; and Bangil, Pasuruan, respectively.<\/p>\n
Police believe that the gang picked up the women at Juanda
\nAirport, Surabaya, offering them cheap transport and
\naccommodation at Yudi's house in Griya Candra Mas for the night
\nbefore they went back to their home towns.<\/p>\n
Those women who accepted were taken to an abandoned area,
\nkilled and then stripped of their valuables.<\/p>\n
Most of victims are believed to come outside Java, making it
\ndifficult for East Java police to determine their identity.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sixteen-migrant-workers-murdered-1447893297",
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