Alleged murder mastermind caught
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta, Jakarta
Police revealed here on Friday that they had arrested Gunawan Santoso, alias Acin, the alleged mastermind of the July 19 killing of PT Asaba president director Boedyharto Angsono and his bodyguard, Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Second Sgt. Edy Siyep.
Jakarta Police Detective Chief Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang told reporters at the Jakarta Police Headquarters that Gunawan was arrested on Thursday night in a rented room, on Jl. Industri Raya in Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta.
Police also seized three fake ID cards using the aliases of Indra Amapta, Dustin Bakrie, and Kevin Martin.
"In addition to the fake IDs, he has undergone plastic surgery to alter the appearance of his nose, cheeks, lips and (around his) eyes ... We, however, managed to identify Gunawan, thanks to a birthmark on his face," Mathius told a media briefing.
Mathius said the police wanted Gunawan, the former husband of Boedyharto's daughter, Alice, on three charges.
First, Gunawan's escape from the Kuningan Penitentiary in Cirebon, West Java on Jan. 15. At that time he was serving a two- and-a-half-year prison term after he was convicted in a Rp 25 billion (US$2.9 million) corruption case.
Second, while on the run, Gunawan was suspected to have ordered the assassination of PT Asaba's finance director Paulus Tejakusuma on Jun. 6 in front of the Golden Hotel on Jl. Angkasa, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. Paulus survived the murder attempt, but suffered serious injuries.
Third, police believe that Gunawan was the mastermind of the murder of Boedyharto and Edy -- a cold-blooded shooting in the parking lot of the Sasana Krida Sports Stadium on Jl. Jembatan Tiga, Pluit, North Jakarta.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara added that the police would also charge Gunawan with document forgery, following the discovery of his three fake IDs and the fake number plate of his silver metallic BMW car.
"We will hunt for those who helped him obtain the fake IDs," Makbul stressed.
Gunawan was at first tightlipped when reporters asked him -- as he was escorted to the interrogation room at the Jakarta Police Headquarters -- why he had ordered the assassination.
But, eventually, he confessed, "I have a grudge (against Boedyharto)."
His face looked different from the photograph published by the media.
Boedyharto's family believed that hatred had motivated Gunawan to order the murder of Boedyharto and Paulus. Boedyharto had fired him from the company for embezzling the company's money, which Paulus uncovered.
Gunawan made the headlines as his case also implicated four Marine officers who were the alleged executors of the fatal shooting.
The four Marines, a Second Lt. SAS, Second Corp. SR, Second Corp. FH, and First Pvt. SS, have been detained by the Marine Military Police since July 31. The four are members of the Marine Infantry Brigade 2 of Cilandak, South Jakarta. Their cases will be brought to military prosecutors for further legal proceedings.
Gunawan Santoso: from his escape to his arrest
Jan. 15 Gunawan escapes from the Kuningan Penitentiary. He returns to Jakarta using a public bus and is dropped off at Pulo Gadung bus terminal. He hides at a Marine officer's home (named Suud) in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. To avoid the police, he moves from hostel to hostel in Pasar Minggu, and to several hotels in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta. Early in February, 2003 Gunawan sends a letter from Singapore to Boedyharto via the Kuningan Penitentiary warden. In the letter, he apologizes for his misdeeds. Police sources said he was in Batam, Riau when he asked a friend in Singapore to send the letter to evade the police. From Batam, he went to Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, using a boat and went to Padang, West Sumatra, on a public bus. He then flew to Surabaya. May, 2003 Gunawan moves to a rented house in Jl. Kartini II, No. 11, Central Jakarta. Police found out about his hideout in early August, but failed to arrest him. June, 6 Paulus was shot by an unidentified hit man while driving his car on Jl. Angkasa, Central Jakarta. He survived the murder attempt. July, 19 Boedyharto and Edy are gunned down by an unidentified man in the parking lot of the Sasana Krida sports stadium. Police sources said Gunawan was in Surabaya when the shooting occurred. September, 11 Police arrest Gunawan in a rented room of a boarding house on Jl. Industri Raya, in Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta.