Motive of rape suspects still perplexes police
JAKARTA (JP): Police still do not know why the 11 suspects robbed and brutally raped a mother and her two teenage daughters in a small, isolated village in Bekasi, 30 kilometers east of Jakarta.
City police chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo told reporters yesterday the 11 suspects, aged between 19 and 27, are being detained by the Bekasi police.
The 11 suspects were arrested on Wednesday after one of them, who is believed to have masterminded the crime, confessed. The arrest ended a ten-day investigation, which involved dozens of senior detectives from city police headquarters.
Dibyo rejected the notion that the crime was related to land disputes, as has been reported.
"We are not investigating a land case but one of robbery and rape. I cannot say more at present because we are still investigating. It is possible that the investigation will develop further, but up to now it is just a robbery and rape case," Dibyo said.
Police reported they have found material proof relating to the 11 suspects, including sperm samples, fingerprints, blood and knives.
The robbery and rape took place at 3:30 a.m. on July 24 at the house of Acan, 45, a small-scale potato farmer in Pondok Gede, near the Jagorawi toll road.
The horrendous crime immediately sparked public anger, and many demands for the death penalty.
Two of the suspects were reported to be relatives of the victims, Dibyo said. He also confirmed that two of the suspects came from military families. "There will be no different treatment. They will be treated equally," Dibyo promised.
A preliminary reconstruction of the crime showed that the suspects came from the neighboring village of Sukatani. The suspects apparently crossed the small river nearby and discussed their plan before entering the victims' house. The gang then broke into the house, attacked and tied up Acan's 18-year-old son, Ali, and his four friends who were sleeping on the veranda. The gang later tied up Acan in the living room.
Not finding any valuables, some of the group dragged Acan's 43-year-old wife to the kitchen and raped her.
The others raped Acan's 15-year-old and 14-year-old daughters after dragging the junior high school students into two different rooms.
The gang reportedly took only a gold necklace and destroyed the family's motorcycle parked in front of the house.
To help the family recover from their trauma police have sent a team of psychologists from the Jakarta metropolitan police and the University of Indonesia.
"The family is still traumatized. That is why police have sent a team of psychologists to help the family recover," Dibyo said, adding that they were getting better. "Acan's daughters have started to talk and smile again," he said.
The house was still being tightly guarded by police to ensure the family's safety, Dibyo said.
Meanwhile, a member of the Commission on Human Rights, Roekmini Koesoemo Astoeti, told The Jakarta Post by telephone that she was contacted yesterday by the Alliance of Women Against Violence, which groups six non-government organizations. The Alliance had earlier issued a statement requesting an immediate investigation into the case.
Roekmini said they volunteered to help the victims and asked how they could get permission from the police. (01/anr)