Motive of Bekasi rape still under study: Police

JAKARTA (JP): Police announced on Tuesday that there has been no indication that the robbery and brutal rape of a mother and her two teenage daughters in Bekasi might have been masterminded by a property developer.

"So far, we have only found strong evidence, and obtained confessions, that the 11 suspects allegedly robbed and raped the victims," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. IK Ratta told reporters during a weekly meeting at his office.

The rationale that lead the police to their preliminary conclusion is that the group had already committed a robbery at a nearby house, Ratta said.

"But we'd be very grateful to have any information from the public which might help us complete our ongoing investigation to find the real motive," he said.

The 11 suspects, aged between 19 and 27, were arrested on Aug. 2, after one of the suspects, who was believed to have masterminded the crime, confessed. The arrest ended a 10-day investigation on the case, which involved dozens of senior detectives from city police headquarters.

The robbery and rapes took place at 3:30 a.m. on July 24, in the house of Acan, 45, a small-scale potato farmer in the small, isolated Kampung Cimatis village of Jati Karya in Pondok Gede, Bekasi, 30 kilometers east of Jakarta.

Preliminary investigation states that Acan's wife, 43, was raped once, while his 15-year-old and 14-year-old daughters, students at a local Islamic junior high school, were raped four times each.

According to Ratta, police have yet to disclose the names of the suspected rapists.

"We still need time to conclude the case," he said.

The horrendous crime, believed to be masterminded by one of Acan's nephews, immediately sparked public anger, and many demands for the death penalty.

Although two of the suspects are believed to be from military families, City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, a former adjutant to President Soeharto, pledged to treat all the suspects equally.

Ratta said that, according Bekasi police detectives, the gang thought Acan might have a large amount of cash in the house, after selling part of his land three months ago.

Not finding any valuables, some of the group allegedly raped the female members of Acan's family.

The gang reportedly took only a gold necklace and destroyed the family's motorcycle parked in front of the house.

However, Ratta said that the police are still investigating the possibility of the incident being masterminded by a property developer, who tried to force Acan to leave his house.

However, Ratta claimed that he had no idea on the name of the property developer, or whether the executives have been summoned by the Bekasi police for questioning.

"Everything is still ongoing but, as of today, we have found that it's nothing to do with the issue of a property developer," he said.

When asked to comment about denials made by parents of two of the suspects, that their sons had nothing to do with the case, Ratta simply said: "Everybody has their right to claim that they are innocent but we believe in what we're doing."

Police have gathered material evidence relating to the 11 suspects, including sperm samples, fingerprints, blood and knives.

"All of the evidence is quite strong," Ratta said. (bsr)