Reconstruction Reveals YTR's Lips Damaged by Repeated Blows, Not Scissors
Investigators from the PPA and PPO Directorate of the West Java Regional Police conducted a reconstruction of the case involving the unlawful detention and physical abuse of a woman, identified by the initials YTR (29), by suspect Taufik Hidayat (30), at the West Java Regional Police Headquarters on Thursday (2/7).
The Director of PPA and PPO of West Java Regional Police, Kombes Pol Rumi, stated that there were 21 scenes of torture carried out by Taufik Hidayat against YTR. “The reconstruction proceeded well, smoothly, and thankfully there was no rejection from the suspect. The suspect also admitted to all his actions across six crime scenes,” said Rumi.
Out of the six crime scenes involving abuse and detention, only three locations were used for the reconstruction, as these three sites were the central points where the abuse and confinement occurred. These three locations are situated within the Bandung Regency area. Rumi explained that the abuse against the victim, YTR, occurred most intensely over a nine-month period spanning 2025 to 2026.
The torture inflicted by the perpetrator included severe physical abuse using bare hands, as well as the use of blunt and sharp objects. “This included being struck with a helmet, using an iron table leg at the final crime scene, and using a machete. The victim does not remember everything clearly because her eyes were covered. She only mentioned being struck with a sharp object. However, findings at the crime scene match the iron table leg. The victim’s face was also struck with bare hands, specifically with the palm against the temple,” he said.
Regarding rumours that the perpetrator cut the victim’s lips, Rumi denied this. “There was no such incident. The perpetrator did not admit to it, and the facts found do not show any act of cutting the lips. The condition of the lips and the loss of teeth were the result of repeated blows. Consequently, the teeth fell out and the lips were damaged because they were left untreated, causing the condition to worsen over time,” he explained.
Regarding the tattoos on the victim’s body, Rumi revealed that the tattoos were made when their relationship was still stable, though the victim was already under pressure due to the fear of further abuse. “Based on the investigation, the tattoos were made while their condition was still good. The purpose was to reassure the perpetrator of her love, as there were indications of jealousy from the perpetrator. As a token of love, they made tattoos together. This was admitted and confirmed by the victim. There was no verbal coercion. However, given the circumstances, the victim inevitably complied out of fear of being beaten. Although there was no verbal coercion, looking at the victim’s psychological state, there was certainly a fear that refusing would lead to violence,” he said.
Rumi also revealed the reason the victim did not attempt to escape while under Taufik’s control. Upon examination, the victim admitted she was terrified of the perpetrator. “Because of an immense sense of fear. This was the consistent answer from the victim, that she experienced great fear,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Prosecutor of the West Java High Prosecutor’s Office, Agus Setiadi, stated that following this reconstruction, they will coordinate with police investigators regarding the further legal process, including the potential addition of charges to prosecute Taufik. “Regarding additional charges, we will first review the case files. As I mentioned, we will coordinate and discuss this further with the investigators,” he said.
The victim’s family, who attended the reconstruction, described Taufik’s actions against YTR as sadistic. “Horrific,” said the victim’s biological brother, Apip Shandy. Apip expressed disbelief that Taufik could be so cruel to his sister. “Just ask his father what he was fed to end up like this,” he said with resentment. “The lightest blow was using a helmet against her head,” he added.