Debt Dispute: Sampang Resident Held Captive and Tortured for Four Days
Officers from the Sampang Police in East Java arrested three people on Monday for the unlawful confinement of a resident of Ketapang Daya Village, Ketapang District, Sampang.
“The victim of the confinement is Hayat (35), a resident of Ketapang Daya Village, Ketapang District, Sampang,” said Sampang Police Head of Public Relations AKP Puji Eko Waluyo in Sampang on Monday.
He explained that the case began with a report from the victim’s family stating that Hayat had not returned home and was suspected of being held captive by his neighbour because he had a debt and had not been able to repay it.
Following the report, officers went to the victim’s house and met his wife.
From the wife’s statement, it emerged that the perpetrators were residents of the same village living in Gunung Anyar Hamlet, Ketapang Daya Village, Ketapang District, Sampang.
“Based on the statement from the victim’s wife, we moved in and made the arrests,” he said.
Three people, identified as Z (56), T (60), and M (40), all residents of Ketapang Daya Village, were immediately arrested.
“Based on the preliminary examination, the motive for the confinement was a debt of Rp 300 million that the victim had failed to repay for 1.5 years,” he said.
In addition to being held captive, the victim also said he was tortured, suffering bruises on parts of his body.
“I was held captive for four days and was tortured during that time,” Hayat told the media.
To hold them accountable for their actions, police have charged the suspects under Article 333 of the old Criminal Code and Article 446 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the new Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of nine years in prison.
Regarding this case, Sampang Police Head of Public Relations AKP Puji Eko Waluyo urged the public not to take the law into their own hands.
The confinement, he said, constitutes a serious violation of the law, as it not only deprived another person of their liberty but also allegedly involved torture.