Indonesian IT Worker Found Dead in Armenia, Body Bound with Duct Tape

Valenth A Tambuto (24), a resident originally from Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, was found dead in a workers’ dormitory room at a company in Yerevan, Armenia. The victim was discovered with his feet, hands and mouth bound with adhesive tape.

News of Valenth’s death was first received by his family on Wednesday evening (15/7/2026). The victim’s younger brother, Arnold Tambuto, said he had still been in contact with his brother just a few hours before the sad news arrived.

“It’s true that it was my older brother who died in Armenia. He worked there in the IT field at an IT consultancy firm,” Arnold Tambuto told reporters, as quoted by detikSulsel on Sunday (19/7).

Arnold said the last communication with the victim took place in the early hours of Wednesday (15/7), at around 01.00 Central Indonesia Time, or Tuesday evening (14/7) Armenian time. After that, the victim could no longer be reached via the phone chat application.

The family only learned of the victim’s death after receiving word from their uncle that evening. The information came about after the victim’s girlfriend, named Tati, who is in the Philippines, grew suspicious because she could not reach Valenth all day.

“His girlfriend asked someone to check (Valenth’s office colleague) in his room because they usually communicated almost every hour. When they checked, there was apparently someone inside, covered with a blanket as if sleeping. When it was opened, it turned out (the victim) was no longer alive,” Arnold explained.

“After that, they searched for the family’s contact details (of the deceased), and through a friend who is now in Manado, the deceased’s girlfriend passed on the information, which was then relayed to our uncle,” Arnold continued.

According to the information received by the family, the victim was found in a grim condition. However, the family is still awaiting official information from the Armenian authorities regarding the exact cause of death.

“The condition of the body (when found) was, reportedly, bound with adhesive tape. His feet, hands and mouth were bound with tape. I was so shocked at the time that I ended the call and didn’t listen further, but I did hear that when the body was uncovered there was a lot of blood,” Arnold revealed.

Arnold said the family had received a number of pieces of information pointing towards a suspected murder behind his brother’s death. However, he stressed that this information came from accounts given by those closest to the victim.

“Indeed, many people have mentioned that (murder). We received information from several close relatives and also from the deceased’s girlfriend himself,” Arnold Tambuto told reporters on Sunday (19/7).

The family is still coordinating with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) to obtain further information about the condition of the body and the process of repatriating it to Indonesia. The family hopes the victim’s remains can soon be brought home to his village in Moncongloe District, Maros Regency.