Police: Retired JICT Employee Ermanto Usman Killed by Pickaxe Blow

Police have revealed new facts regarding the death of Ermanto Usman (65), a retired employee of Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) in Jatibening, Pondok Gede, Bekasi City, West Java. It has emerged that Ermanto was killed by a pickaxe blow.

“Based on initial interrogation, the perpetrator struck the victim with a pickaxe,” said Metro Jaya Police Criminal Investigation Directorate Head Kombes Iman Imanuddin to reporters on Tuesday (10 March).

After carrying out the attack, the perpetrator, named Sudirman alias Yuda, discarded the pickaxe in front of the victim’s home.

Iman stated that the perpetrator is currently undergoing intensive interrogation by investigators from the Traffic Crime Unit of the Metro Jaya Police Criminal Investigation Directorate. Investigators are still probing the perpetrator’s motive for the attack.

“We are still investigating the motive,” said Iman.

Previously, Ermanto Usman died at his home in Jatibening, Pondok Gede, Bekasi, West Java on Monday (2 March). In the incident, Ermanto’s wife also suffered injuries and is still receiving medical treatment at a hospital.

The incident was only discovered by their son as dawn prayer time approached. At that time, the son became suspicious because his parents had not woken him for pre-dawn meal until 04:00 local time.

“When he woke up he was shocked, ‘it’s almost time for the dawn prayer’, so he went downstairs. When he went down he noticed there was no response [from his parents], the lights were still off,” said Metro Bekasi City Police Crime Unit Chief Kompol Andi Muhammad Iqbal to reporters on Monday (2 March).

Andi stated that the son was able to hear his mother’s voice at the time. However, when he approached, the door handle was already damaged and could not be opened.

After investigation, police successfully arrested the murder suspect named Sudirman alias Yuda in Cilincing, North Jakarta on Monday (9 March) at approximately 18:54 local time.

Ermanto was the chairman of the JICT Employees’ Pensioners’ Association. Pelindo is the major shareholder in JICT. He was also known as a port observer.

In recent times, he was known as one of the figures who exposed allegations of corruption related to port management. He brought the allegations of corruption at the port company to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).