Bangkalan Official Case: Erlan Also Sought for Alleged Fraud

Erlan, the man strongly suspected of being the last person with the late Ruly Yunis Setiawati, Secretary of the Bangkalan Public Housing and Settlement Areas Agency (PRKP), is now being hunted by many parties. Not only is he implicated in the mystery surrounding the civil servant’s death at Juanda Airport, but Erlan is also being sought for alleged involvement in a fraud case. This fact has shocked residents in his former neighbourhood in Dampit, Malang Regency, East Java. Hanafi, the head of the local neighbourhood association (RT 06/RW 03) on Jalan Semeru Selatan, Dampit District, confirmed that in recent days, many people have come looking for Erlan. This wave of searches emerged after Erlan’s photo circulated widely on social media in connection with the Juanda Airport case. “Several days ago, many people were looking for him, after Erlan’s photo appeared because of the Juanda case,” Hanafi said. Initially, Hanafi suspected the people searching for Erlan were linked to the investigation into Ruly Yunis’s death. However, he was surprised to learn that some were hunting him over an alleged fraud involving vehicle embezzlement. “A resident from Pasuruan was looking for Erlan, saying his Pajero was taken and has not been returned yet,” he stated. Apart from civilians claiming to be fraud victims, Hanafi confirmed that police officers have also visited the neighbourhood to gather information about Erlan’s background. According to the neighbourhood head, Erlan is no longer registered as a local resident. He reportedly left the Dampit area after divorcing his former wife several years ago. “They divorced around 2021. He was married and lived here for about seven years, not quite ten,” Hanafi said. During his time in the area, Erlan was known as a reserved figure who rarely socialised about his personal life. Local residents were not even certain of his daily profession or job. “He and his former wife tended to be very private. I only knew that Erlan often exercised in the morning, and after that, he seemed to be mostly at home. What he did for work, we don’t know,” Hanafi added. The case dragging Erlan’s name into the spotlight began with the discovery of Ruly Yunis Setiawati’s body inside an official Toyota Kijang Innova with government plates. The vehicle was parked in the Terminal 1 area of Juanda International Airport, Sidoarjo, on Wednesday (24/6). Airport parking manifest data showed the official car had entered the area on Saturday (20/6) and never left until the victim was found dead inside. A police investigation using airport CCTV footage revealed that Ruly was not driving the car alone. Based on the recording, the vehicle was driven by a man. The man’s identity was later confirmed by the victim’s legal counsel, Risang, as Erlan. Police are currently continuing their pursuit of Erlan, who has been declared a fugitive and the main suspect in the death of the Bangkalan PRKP official.