Scorned Student Attacks Reject with Machete and Axe After Romantic Proposal Rejected at Riau Islamic University

Raihan Mufazzar, aged 21, deliberately attacked Faradilla Ayu Pramesti, a 23-year-old student at UIN Sultan Syarif Kasim (Suska) University in Riau, with a machete and axe after she rejected his romantic proposal. The rejection prompted Raihan to lose control and attempt to kill the victim using the sharp weapons.

“The victim and perpetrator know each other. The perpetrator deliberately intended to assault the victim,” stated AKP Anggi Rian, Chief of the Criminal Investigation Unit at Pekanbaru Police, as reported on Thursday, 26 February 2026.

“The provisional motive is that the perpetrator’s love was rejected,” Anggi added.

The violent incident occurred at the Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Law building of UIN Suska Riau on Thursday, 26 February, at approximately 08:00 WIB. The perpetrator deliberately travelled to campus to confront the victim, who was waiting for her thesis examination. The perpetrator reportedly intended to end the victim’s life.

Fortunately, the victim was quickly rescued and the perpetrator apprehended. When evacuated by campus security personnel, the victim was covered in blood.

“The perpetrator deliberately came from home with the intention to target the victim, which is why he brought an axe and machete. However, only the axe was used,” Rian explained.

As a result of the assault, the victim sustained wounds to her head and hands. In addition to intensive questioning of the perpetrator, police also plan to conduct a urine test. The perpetrator will also be taken to a psychiatrist at a mental health hospital to assess his mental state and psychological condition.

“We are currently conducting investigations. However, we also plan to take him to a psychiatrist and conduct a urine test to evaluate the perpetrator’s psychological state,” he said.

The victim remains under care at Arifin Achmad General Hospital in Pekanbaru. Police stated that the victim and perpetrator became acquainted during community service work (KKN).

“His target was specifically the victim. He did not accept being rejected when he confessed his feelings. They became close during community service, and when the perpetrator expressed his love, the victim rejected him because she was already in a relationship, and that triggered this incident,” Rian explained on Friday, 27 February.

Police stated that the perpetrator had prepared sharp weapons to attack the victim. The two weapons were sharpened at Raihan’s residence before he travelled to Pekanbaru.

“The machete and axe were brought by the perpetrator from his home in Bangkinang. He deliberately brought them to target the victim,” he clarified.

Police have formally designated the perpetrator as a suspect. Charges include Articles 459 of the Criminal Code, and/or Articles 458 and 17 of the Criminal Code, and/or Article 469 of the Criminal Code, together with Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code.

“The intended target was to kill. Therefore, we are applying layered charges in accordance with the provisions: ‘Any person who with premeditation deprives another person of life, and/or Any person who deprives another person of life, and/or Any person who commits grievous bodily harm with premeditation’,” Rian stated.