Child rape cases rising: Police
Child rape cases rising: Police
JAKARTA (JP): City police have recorded four significant child
rape cases since May this year, with the latest one in Pamulang,
South Jakarta, which involved at least five minors on Saturday.
"Such heinous crimes are not uncommon, but they are rarely
reported to the police, so we normally are of no help to the
victims. Parents must report to the police. They are also allowed
to make a citizen's arrests of a rapist, as long as they hand us
the suspect," secretary to city police spokesman Maj. Alex
Mandalika said.
In the latest case, a man identified as Suryadi, 35,
surrendered on Saturday evening to the Pamulang Police over the
alleged rape of five boys, aged between five and 13, in his
neighborhood.
Sgt. Maj. Amir Machmud of the Pamulang Police crime scene unit
said that Suryadi, who lives with his parents in the Pondok Cabe
Udik area of Pamulang, surrendered in fear of reprisal from the
boys' parents.
"He has confessed to having continuously raped the boys behind
his house," Amir told The Jakarta Post.
"We are still investigating this case, since there could have
been more victims."
Separately, a woman reported on May 28 this year at the East
Jakarta Police station that a 12-year-old boy had raped her
seven-year-old daughter.
The seven-year-old girl identified the 12-year-old junior high
school student, who the police then arrested on June 5.
The East Jakarta Police chief of detectives for prostitution,
Second. Lt. Suharto, showed the Post a confession reportedly
signed by the suspect that stated he had "playfully" raped the
girl while an 11-year-old friend held the girl down.
Suharto said the 12 year old had confessed to watching a
pornographic movie at a cousin's house a month before the
incident.
He also said that in early May, three men in East Jakarta had
lured a young girl with a Popsicle, drove her to a secluded place
in Ancol, North Jakarta, where they took turns in raping her
continuously before dumping her in Ancol.
"Some men came across her and immediately alerted the police.
When we got the news, we instantly alerted the girl's parents who
had earlier made a missing persons report," Suharto said.
"We have not exposed the suspects' identities to the media
since the men are still at large."
The fourth reported case was that of the rape of a 16-month-
old daughter of a couple who live in Depok.
Based on the reports and after three months of searching, the
police named a close friend of the infant's father as the sole
suspect in the case. (ylt)