Preacher Ustaz SAM Reported to Police for Sexual Harassment of Religious Students
A preacher with the initials SAM has been reported to the Indonesian National Police’s Serious Crimes Unit (Bareskrim Polri) in connection with allegations of sexual harassment against religious students.
According to the statement of the victims’ legal counsel, Benny Jehadu, the accused frequently appears as a judge on a private television network’s Qur’an memorisation programme.
“The accused, with initials SAM, often appears on one of the television shows on private broadcasting,” stated Benny Jehadu, as quoted by detikkom on Thursday, 12 March.
Jehadu urged police to take firm action against the accused. The case has now entered the investigation phase, with police reportedly possessing substantial evidence.
“We firmly expect the investigative team to promptly summon the accused and formally designate him as a suspect,” stressed Benny Jehadu.
The legal representatives stated that they have submitted several pieces of evidence substantiating the criminal offence. The evidence includes digital records of conversations and video recordings from the past.
“The evidence we submitted to the investigative team includes chat records, videos, and several other pieces of evidence. The video appears to show a sort of reconciliation process, with an apology from the perpetrator to religious leaders,” explained another victims’ legal representative, Wati Trisnawati.
The indecency case involves more than one victim. The legal representatives stated that all their clients have suffered profound psychological trauma as a result of the incidents.
“Our clients comprise five victims in this case. The sexual harassment involved both male and female victims, including minors and adults,” clarified Benny Jehadu.
The alleged unlawful conduct reportedly occurred over an extended period spanning several years. The incidents are said to have taken place at multiple different locations.
“The timeframe spans from around 2017, with different victims experiencing incidents at different times. Some occurred in 2017, some in 2018, and some as recently as 2025,” concluded Wati Trisnawati.