Alleged suicide sparks fury in East Kotawaringin

SAMPIT, Central Kalimantan: Suriansyah, a crime suspect, died, allegedly due to suicide, only a day after he was arrested on Saturday, a police officer has said.

However, the family of Suriansyah suspects that the victim died at the hands of the police.

Comr. Bambang Siswanto, deputy chief of East Kotawaringin police precinct, said on Tuesday that the incident began on Friday night when Sofyan Noor, a local resident, reported to the police that he had lost his motorcycle on Jl. Jendral Sudirman.

The police followed up on the report on the following day, when they arrested four suspects: Suriansyah, 42, Arbani, 36, Kardiman, 20 and Dauli, 20.

Bambang said that the police had no problems with the other three, but Suriansyah was apparently in shock after the arrest.

On Sunday morning, he asked a cell guard at the East Kotawaringin police precinct headquarters for permission to visit the rest room.

However, a few minutes after he emerged from the room he fell unconscious.

According to Bambang, an initial investigation found that he tried to commit suicide by inserting a 40-centimeter-long broomstick into his anus.

"Most likely, he felt humiliated after the arrest, and this motivated him to commit suicide," Bambang alleged.

The victim was taken to Murjani Hospital for medical treatment, but he died at 8 p.m on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jumiati, 40, the wife of Suriansyah, asserted that she did not believe that her husband had committed suicide.

Before he was arrested, he appeared to be physically healthy and mentally stable, so it was highly unlikely that he would have committed suicide, said Jumiati.

Jumiati suspected that the police had killed her husband, highlighting the bruises found on her husband's body after his death.

She did not believe, either, that her husband had stolen the motorcycle. "He was a carpenter and had never committed any crime," she said.

She added that she had demanded an investigation into the incident.

She also said that she was ready to fight a legal battle over the case, saying that she has already hired a lawyer, Rajali. -- Antara