Police, parents baffled by young woman's killing

Police, parents baffled by young woman's killing

JAKARTA (JP): Tuesday's murder of 24-year-old Santi Sofarina,
a student at the Muhammadiyah University, remains a mystery to
both her parents and local police.

While police only could say the investigation was ongoing,
Santi's father, Sugeng Suwito, denied any possible political
motives behind her killing. Santi played an active role in the
Justice Party.

"Even if (it was proved later) there was a political motive
behind her murder, it should not be revealed for the sake of
social unity," Sugeng, a retired employee of state timber firm PT
Inhutani, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday at the family's home in
the Inhutani housing complex on Jl. Juanda (also known as Jl.
Ciputat Raya) in Ciputat, South Jakarta.

He also believes the murder of his daughter, whose body was
found on Tuesday morning near her house in Desa Cipayung, was not
masterminded by anybody.

"Most probably she was killed by passersby in the nearby area
who had just come back from a trip to Sawangan or Bogor," Sugeng
added.

"The killing just looks like it happened with no motive behind
it," he added.

Local police said earlier that Santi's body -- still in her
Muslim dress -- was found by one of her neighbors, Abdul Azis, at
5 a.m.

According to her relatives, Santi left her house shortly after
performing her predawn prayer. She then went to Al Hikmah Mosque
in Mampang Prapatan for a class on memorizing Koranic verses.

Santi is believed to have been killed before arriving at the
mosque, one of her relatives said on Tuesday.

Officers believe the murder took place only a few hours before
the body was discovered.

The only injuries on the victim's body were a number of
bruises around her neck. Judging from the marks, police suspect
Santi was choked to death by her killers.

A day after Santi's body was found, the Justice Party held a
press conference to urge the police to solve the case as soon as
possible for the sake of law enforcement in the country and to
avoid possible unrest.

"This case should be solved quickly without regard to the
background of the victim to avoid confusion about the facts of
the case, which could be used by provocateurs," said Anis Matta,
the party's secretary-general.

He quoted medical sources as saying that Santi had been
strangled. Scratch marks were found on Santi's right thumb, he
added.

According to her father, Santi rarely took public
transportation to Al Hikmah Mosque.

"She used to go there in our family car. But that morning she
let her mother use the car to deliver food," Sugeng said.

He also denied that a man whose advances Santi had rejected
could have been responsible for the murder.

"Santi had no boyfriend yet," said Sugeng, adding that her
life was spent in community and religion activities.

Sugeng also rejected the possibility she was killed by men
hanging around the housing complex after visiting nearby
entertainment spots.

"Those places close at 2 a.m. and no men hang around after
that time," he said, adding that Santi's murder might have taken
place at around 5 a.m.

However, Sugeng admitted two youths came to his house on
Monday evening last week and three other men dropped by at 3 a.m.
on Tuesday morning.

"The first two youths came here to ask for donations," he
said. The three other men were on-duty security guards at the
housing complex, he added.

"My daughter did not know any of them," Sugeng said. (01)