Samarinda Islamic Boarding School Leader Accused of Abusing Four Former Female Students

Four former female students are suspected of being victims of sexual violence through a ‘spiritual marriage’ modus operandi allegedly perpetrated by the leader of an Islamic boarding school in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. The case has been reported to the police.

One of the victims, aged 22, said the incident occurred when she was 18 years old. She stated that all the victims recounted a nearly identical pattern, where they were asked to give a massage before the alleged perpetrator carried out his actions.

‘Spiritual marriage is a marriage without a guardian and without witnesses. So it was just the two of us, shaking hands, stating our names, and then it was considered lawful,’ said the victim, who requested anonymity, as reported by detikKalimantan on Thursday (16/7/2026).

Meanwhile, Rina Zainun, Head of the East Kalimantan TRC PPA, said her team first received a complaint from one of the victims in May 2026 via a direct message on social media. Communication was temporarily halted. The victim contacted her again on 3 June 2026 and mentioned that there were other victims who had experienced similar things and wanted to come forward.

‘That is why I asked them not to just tell their stories over the phone or by chat. If they really want to pursue legal action, they must meet in person and bring the evidence,’ Rina said.

After the victims declared they were ready to take the legal route, Rina received information about alleged intimidation aimed at making them drop their intention to report. Several victims were reportedly visited, called, and contacted via text messages.

An official report was finally lodged with the police on 23 June 2026 by three victims. Another victim who had initially planned to report withdrew because her family was worried the matter would become a disgrace.

A day later, the victims underwent a medical examination. During that process, one more victim decided to file a report, bringing the total number of complainants to four.

‘So initially there were 3 victims, then one more was added, making it 4 victims. The initial modus operandi was that the children were asked to give massages. After that, what they called a spiritual marriage was performed, which then led to the alleged abuse,’ she explained.

Currently, the investigation is still ongoing. On Thursday (16/7/2026), the victims again complied with an investigator’s summons to submit additional evidence and provide further statements in the official investigation report.