Modus Operandi of Islamic Boarding School Leader in NTB Who Allegedly Raped Female Students

Mataram, VIVA – The West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police (Polda NTB) have stated that the leader of an Islamic boarding school (ponpes) in the Sukamulia area of East Lombok Regency, identified by the initials AJN, allegedly raped his female students by employing a modus operandi involving misleading tactics that deviated from religious teachings.

“The suspect AJN manipulated circumstances, exploited the victims’ vulnerabilities, and carried out deception to the point of compelling the victims to engage in sexual intercourse or indecent acts. This was done repeatedly,” said the Director of the Women and Children Protection and Prevention and Handling of Human Trafficking Division (PPA-PPO) of Polda NTB, Commissioner Ni Made Pujawati, at a press conference in Mataram on Thursday.

Based on the preliminary findings of the investigation, Pujawati explained that a similar modus operandi was also applied by AJN, who has now been designated a suspect, to other victims.

However, Pujawati clarified that the police have so far received reports from only two victims among AJN’s female students. Both filed their reports with the police accompanied by legal support from the Mataram Child Protection Agency (LPA).

Although there are only two victims in the formal reports, she emphasised that the police have obtained sufficiently strong evidence to designate AJN as a suspect.

In addition to obtaining testimony from the victims and witnesses, the police also strengthened their case with the victims’ medical examination results and expert opinions from psychologists handling the victims’ trauma, academics in the field of criminal law, and representatives from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

“Furthermore, we also conducted a crime scene investigation and collected physical evidence including documents, clothing, a mini camera, and a mobile phone, all of which convinced us that AJN’s case must be elevated to the investigation stage,” she said.

Polda NTB has designated AJN as a suspect under Article 6(c) in conjunction with Article 15 of Law No. 12 of 2022 on Sexual Violence Offences, which carries a maximum penalty of 16 years’ imprisonment for repeated indecent acts or sexual intercourse within an educational setting.

Pujawati stated that the suspect AJN has been detained at the Polda NTB Detention Centre. His detention commenced from the time of his arrest at Lombok International Airport on Wednesday, 18 February 2026.