City to investigate alleged rape by public order official
City to investigate alleged rape by public order official
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is investigating allegations that an official of the city public order office was involved in a rape.
The deputy governor for social welfare, Museno, said yesterday that he has ordered the head of the public order office to conduct the investigation.
"If the office finds that the allegations are true, the city administration will not hesitate in taking firm action against the official," Museno said.
He added that the city administration will fire the official if there is strong evidence that he committed a rape. The victim is a woman identified only by her initials RR.
The head of the office, Kuseini Budiono, said that he has started the investigation by questioning officials from four districts in Central Jakarta.
The districts are Gambir, Cempaka Putih, Senen and Menteng.
Kuseini said the allegations are a severe blow to his office, especially as it came in the middle of the national discipline movement. "This is a disgrace to the office and I hope we can find the truth."
According to Toha Reno, an official of the office, the officials from the districts said that they did not hold an operation on Jan. 18, the night the rape reportedly happened.
"The officials said that there was not any operation on that day but there was an operation on Jan. 17 in the afternoon by the city social office," Toha said.
RR, who is a domestic helper on Jl. Ki Mangunsarkoro, Central Jakarta, reported to the Menteng police precinct on Tuesday that she was raped by an official from the city public order office.
The Merdeka daily reported that the victim said she was mistakenly picked up by officials in a crackdown on street prostitutes and transvestites on Jan. 18. She was then raped by an official in a house, the paper said.
RR cannot identify the place where the rape occurred as she arrived in Jakarta only three weeks ago from her hometown of Indramayu, West Java.
She was able to return to her employer's house after the official released her in the Senen area, Central Jakarta.(yns)