Caretaker of Islamic Boarding School in Pati Suspected of Sexually Abusing 50 Female Students Since 2020

The head of criminal investigation at Pati Police Resort, Kompol Dika Hadian Widyatama, revealed that the case of alleged indecent acts or sexual violence committed by Ashari bin Karsana, the caretaker of Pondok Pesantren Ndholo Kusumo, against several female students has been ongoing since 2020. Ashari was designated as a suspect in the case on 28 April 2026. Dika stated that the case of alleged sexual violence by Ashari was reported to Pati Police Resort in July 2024. “This case began with a police report in 2024 in July, with allegations of criminal indecent acts against children and/or sexual violence. The incidents occurred consecutively from February 2020 to January 2024,” he said during an interview on Monday (4/5/2026). He added that the reporter of the case is a female student with initials FA. “At the time of the incident in 2020, she was still 15 years old. The suspect is named Ashari bin Karsana,” he stated. Dika explained that in carrying out his indecent acts, Ashari used religious arguments. “The modus operandi was to convince and indoctrinate the female students with the doctrine of tarekat, which essentially requires students to obey the teacher. In this pesantren, female students must obey the ustadz or kiai,” he said.