NTB Police Add Charges for Two Suspects in Case of Three Santri Burned
The Women and Children Protection and Anti-Human Trafficking Directorate (Ditres PPA PPO) of the NTB Regional Police has added articles to the investigation into the alleged burning of three santri at the Rosudatussaulatiyah Al Ibrahimy Islamic boarding school (ponpes) in Aik Darek village, Batukliang district, Central Lombok.
The Director of the PPA and PPO Directorate at the NTB Regional Police, Commissioner Ni Made Pujewati, said the additional charges were brought after two rounds of coordination and case exposure with public prosecutors from the NTB High Prosecutor’s Office and the Central Lombok District Prosecutor’s Office.
According to her, the two suspects are now also charged under Article 77B juncto Article 76B of the Child Protection Law. The article concerns placing a child in a situation of maltreatment or neglect that leads to violence resulting in serious injury or even death.
“This incident shows there were circumstances that placed children in situations of maltreatment and neglect as referred to in Article 77B juncto Article 76B, which resulted in violence with consequences of serious injury and even death. We have applied that article to both suspects,” she asserted.
In addition, she explained that the decision is supported by facts uncovered during the reconstruction carried out that afternoon. Among them was the act of placing the victims in a dangerous situation that caused them to be burned.
“There are several new facts we found from this reconstruction, namely the act of placing children in a situation that caused them to catch fire,” she revealed.
With the additional charge, the two suspects face criminal sentences of more than five years’ imprisonment because their actions resulted in the death of a victim.
“More than five years when the consequence is death,” she said.
Regarding detention, Pujewati said investigators remain guided by the latest provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, taking into account subjective and objective requirements as well as formal and material aspects of the legal process.
In investigating the case, police have questioned 24 witnesses and obtained testimony from eight experts across various disciplines to strengthen the evidence.
“In this investigation we have presented 24 witnesses, including eight experts who provided testimony relating to the incident,” she explained.
The burning of the santri occurred at Rosudatussaulatiyah in Aik Darek village, Batukliang district, Central Lombok regency, on 13 December 2025. The incident claimed the life of a student with the initials SS (14) and injured two other students, ADR (14) and SAH (14).
In the case, investigators have named two suspects: MR (16), a senior of the victims, and Ahmad Muzakki Rahmatullah, also known as AMR (55), the head of the boarding school, under Article 474 paragraphs (2) and (3) of the Criminal Code for alleged negligence that caused one santri to die and two others to suffer serious burns.