Man Suspected of Mental Illness Holds Nephew Hostage, Threatens to Slit Throat in Konawe

A man with the initial D (27) caused a commotion in Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, after taking his three-year-old nephew hostage. The perpetrator is suspected of suffering from a mental disorder. The incident occurred in the morning at 07:00 WITA in front of the Koramil and Polsek Sampara offices. The perpetrator was reportedly hallucinating that someone was trying to kill him. ‘Initially, the perpetrator appeared restless, crying while walking around the house and repeatedly saying that someone was trying to kill him,’ said Konawe Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKP Laode M. Jefri Hamzah. The perpetrator then approached the victim’s father to ask for a ride to the Polsek Sampara. However, the request was not immediately granted because residents knew the perpetrator was experiencing a mental disorder. Laode stated that the perpetrator then entered the kitchen of the house and took a knife. The perpetrator immediately carried his nephew, who was playing in front of the house, while pointing the knife at the victim’s neck. ‘The perpetrator took a knife from the kitchen, then carried the victim and threatened him by pointing the knife at the child’s neck,’ he said. The perpetrator then again asked the victim’s father to take him to the Polsek Sampara on a motorcycle. During the journey, the perpetrator continued to carry the victim while pressing the knife to his neck.