Police Suspect Ponpes Founder, Accused in Santri Abuse Case, Has Fled
Police suspect that the founder of the Tahfidzul Qur’an Ndolo Kusumo Islamic boarding school (ponpes), who is also the suspect in the alleged harassment of female students (santriwati) with initials AS, is no longer in Pati, Central Java.
Wakasat Reskrim Polresta Pati AKP Iswantoro stated that AS is believed to have moved locations without informing family or legal advisors.
“The suspect’s whereabouts are still being searched for. There are indications that the individual is not in Pati and has not contacted anyone,” said Iswantoro in his statement on Wednesday (6/5).
Iswantoro hopes AS will be cooperative and attend the second examination summons as a suspect on Thursday (7/5).
“We have scheduled the second summons for 7 May. We hope the individual will attend and be cooperative,” he said.
On the other hand, regarding the number of victims, Iswantoro conveyed that the official report received so far is only from one complainant, namely the victim’s parent. Meanwhile, several other children are still witnesses in the investigation process.
“The official report currently is only one, from the victim’s parent. The others are still witnesses, although previously there were five who gave statements,” he explained.
Iswantoro also revealed that some witnesses have withdrawn their statements. Therefore, investigators continue to delve into the facts to strengthen the evidence.
“We are still examining the existing statements. Some witnesses have indeed withdrawn their statements, but the investigation process continues,” he said.
Furthermore, Polresta Pati is opening wide opportunities for the public who feel they are victims to report. In addition, a complaint post has been prepared to facilitate the reporting process.
“We urge the public, especially those who feel they are victims, to report immediately. We have prepared a complaint post at Polresta Pati,” he said.
Previously, AS, the founder of the pesantren in Pati, had to face the law after being officially named a suspect in the alleged rape of dozens of female students.
AS is known to have founded the ponpes located in Tlogowungu Subdistrict, Pati, in 2021. The ponpes currently has 252 students, 112 of whom are female students.
The alleged harassment case came to light after a graduate victim spoke out about the indecent treatment from the suspect. The report was filed by the victim to the Pati Regency Social Service, Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, and Family Planning Office (Dinsos P3AKB) in September 2024.
The case was also reported to the authorities. However, more than a year passed with no developments in the legal process.
Head of UPTD Protection for Women and Children (PPA), Hartono, stated that only on Monday (27/4) did the police finally conduct a crime scene examination. There were four locations for the crime scene processing, such as the girls’ dormitory, learning room, and two kiai rooms.
“There are four crime scene locations: the girls’ dormitory, learning area, and two kiai rooms,” he said.
As a result of the case, several residents and victims demonstrated in front of the ponpes on Saturday (2/5).