Little progress made in farmhouse investigation

JAKARTA (JP): A police officer said yesterday that little progress has been made in the case of a woman and her husband who were robbed earlier in the month at their farmhouse.

However, according to a preliminary police investigation, the police believe that the sexual assault of the 27-year-old woman did not involve penetration by any of the men who broke into their farmhouse in Bekasi.

Bekasi Police Chief Lt. Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo told The Jakarta Post that no semen was found inside the woman, adding that the medical report, from a local hospital, has yet to be handed over to the police.

"To confirm our preliminary conclusion, we plan to question the wife again this evening," he said.

A few days after the July 3 incident, 34-year-old Yanto Sugianto, the manager of a poultry farm, voiced his disappointment with the local media for saying that his wife had been raped during the robbery, which was the second time in six months.

"The report of the first robbery on Jan. 30 also said that my wife was raped even though there was no medical proof," Yanto told the Post a day after the July robbery.

A few weeks later the hospital and police revealed that the sperm found in his wife was Yanto's.

"But most media continue to say that we were robbed and that my wife was raped," said Yanto.

The second robbery, carried out by at least six people, was almost a re-enactment of what happened in January at the farmhouse. Some of the members are believed to be the same persons.

They broke into the house around 3 a.m., overpowered the workers and pointed sharp weapons at the couple, asking for money and gold jewelry.

While some of them looked for valuables, one took Yanto's wife from his side and sexually assaulted the 27-year-old housewife, said Yanto.

In the first robbery, the group stole 280 grams of jewelry and Rp 1 million (US$425) in cash. In the second case they made off with Rp 2.5 million and three grams of jewelry.

A few days after the January robbery, police arrested three of the five suspects. All were shot in the leg while trying to resist arrest.

According to officer Alex, the police are still trying to track down the whereabouts of the suspects in the second robbery. (bsr)