Police still in the dark over death of ITB student
Police still in the dark over death of ITB student
JAKARTA (JP): Entering their fifth day of investigation,
police are still baffled by the murder of the 22-year old Bogor
Institute of Agriculture (IPB) student, Wida Rakhmawati, at her
boarding house near campus.
First Lt. Arrifin Noor of the Ciomas district police told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday that there are currently no new leads
into the disclosure of the case.
He explained that a number of the deceased's friends have been
called in for questioning but remarked that at present the police
have no suspects.
"There are no new leads or evidence in the case," he said.
Wida, a third-year student studying aqua culture at the
prestigious Institute, was found stabbed to death in her boarding
house last Wednesday.
Her body was found in the locked room of another IPB student
named Ari, some two-doors down from the deceased's rented room.
It was Ari who found the body lying in the room with a knife
in one-hand along with two stab wounds in the chest and throat.
The keys to Ari's room were found by police in the bathroom tub.
Owned by Imam Santoso, who resides in Jakarta, the house with
eight-rooms is located just a few hundred meters from the IPB
campus in Dermaga or about seven-kilometers from Bogor.
At the time of the murder only the deceased and Ari were
renting rooms in the house while the other six-rooms were empty.
Though police have yet to determine the motive of the murder,
Wida's torn underwear have led to speculation that she might have
been the victim of an attempted rape.
Lt. Arrifin said that police were still awaiting results of
the autopsy from the hospital which may help shed some light on
the murder and possibly reveal the motive of the chilling crime.
He added that Wida's body has now been taken to Surabaya, East
Java, by a family member.
It is still not known whether her parents, who are performing
the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, have yet been contacted.
The daughter of Widodo Tjokrowirjono, head clerk at a sugar
factory in Probolinggo, East Java, Wida is the third of seven
children in her family.
Reputation
She had a reputation as a hard working student with above
average grades enabling her to enter IPB under an exclusive
program for outstanding students.
Wida's murder has shocked the IPB campus causing a wave of
fear among many of the female students.
"Many are now afraid to sleep alone at night," Erna, a fourth-
year IPB student who lives in a rented boarding house a kilometer
from the crime scene told Pos Kota.
The climate of fear is a far cry from the usually serene
atmosphere of one of Indonesia's most distinguished learning
institutions.
IPB, which was originally established as a part of the
University of Indonesia's agriculture faculty, eventually
separated into an independent institute 30 years ago.
Commenting on the surrounding environment, local residents
told the Post that despite the occasional disturbance, the area
was relatively safe.
A major cause of the concern for safety for the surrounding
area might well be the close proximity of a public transport
stopping zone.
Asep Sryana, a local resident, said that the town seemed a
little grimier because of the stopping zone, but that it was
nothing to be concerned about.
"You can't say that this is an unsafe area," he said.
The small incidents that happen here are mainly because of
competition among the drivers and not criminal acts, Asep
claimed. (mds)