East Java Police Offer Rp20 Million Bounty for Suspect in Bangkalan Official's Murder
East Java Police investigators have launched a manhunt and offered a Rp20 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of Erlan, the suspected murderer of a senior official from the Bangkalan Regency Government. The bounty is a personal initiative funded by the investigators themselves, not from the official budget.
The victim, identified by the initials RYS, was the 51-year-old Secretary of the Public Housing and Settlement Office (PRKP) of the Bangkalan Regency Government. He was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside his official car in the Terminal 1 parking area of Juanda International Airport on Wednesday, 24 June.
Aipda Sigit Dwi Susanto, Head of the Operational Team for Unit III of the Jatanras Sub-Directorate, said the reward was a private initiative by the investigators. ‘Yes, [the bounty] is from us personally. From the start, we said this is personal funding. Thank God, we have received a lot of information from netizens and we are beginning to investigate these leads. Hopefully, something will lead us to arrest the perpetrator,’ Sigit told CNNIndonesia.com on Wednesday, 8 July.
Sigit explained that the measure was taken because video footage and information about the suspect had gone viral across various media, causing the target to frequently change locations. The bounty, which he announced on his personal TikTok account, is intended to restrict Erlan’s movement by encouraging public participation. ‘The problem is that he keeps moving, and there are people harbouring him,’ he said.
Sigit revealed that the idea for the bounty originally came from a community figure who offered financial assistance after seeing the team’s track record in solving other murder cases. While the publicly announced amount is Rp20 million, Sigit mentioned that support from other parties might increase the total.
Forensic examinations at Bhayangkara Pusdik Sabhara Porong Hospital found several indications of violence on the victim’s body. An external examination revealed a torn left earlobe caused by blunt force trauma. Doctors also found dilated blood vessels on the eyelids and bluish discolouration of the lips, which are common in victims of asphyxiation. Further internal examinations showed changes in the colour of the tongue, epiglottis, upper respiratory tract, and stomach lining.
The victim’s family lawyer, Risang Bima Wijaya, stated that the suspect, identified as Erlan, is believed to be a man from South Sulawesi who previously worked at the now-defunct Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (BPPN). The suspect is thought to have a criminal record involving various fraud schemes. ‘He has committed fraud everywhere, involving property, projects, and buying and selling,’ Risang said, adding that the motive might be a love scam. The suspect was the last person seen with the victim in CCTV footage at the airport, and his current whereabouts are unknown as he frequently moves between East Java and Central Java.