Six Mass Organisation Members Kill Pematangsiantar Man Over Tattoo Dispute, Victim Turns Out to Be Wrong Target

Police have arrested six members of the mass organisation IPK after they assaulted a man named Jaka Malau, 24, leading to his death at Taman Bunga in Pematangsiantar City. Investigation revealed the victim was a case of mistaken identity. The mob attack against Jaka circulated widely on social media, with video showing the perpetrators kicking, stomping on, and punching the victim. Pematangsiantar Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKP Sandi Riz Akbar said the incident occurred at Taman Bunga on 28 May 2026. The victim died on 29 May 2026 after being rushed to hospital. “The autopsy results show the cause of death was bleeding in the back of the head or the rear brain,” Sandi said. The attack originated from a dispute over the price of a tattoo. An IPK member with the initials HH had a tattoo done by a witness, MS. Upon completion, the tattoo price turned out to be Rp 600,000. HH did not expect the price to be that high but paid it nonetheless. HH then told another member, RWMS, about the price, which angered RWMS. RWMS subsequently confronted MS at his tattoo stand in Taman Bunga and took him to Taman Hewan Pematangsiantar, where an argument ensued in the presence of five other suspects. RWMS demanded MS return part of the money HH had paid, but MS asked for time to gather the funds. Unwilling to accept this, RWMS argued with MS. The perpetrators then drove MS back to his tattoo stand. Upon arrival, RWMS got out of the car while MS and the other suspects remained inside. In an emotional state, RWMS spotted the victim Jaka sitting near MS’s tattoo stand and mistakenly assumed he was a friend of MS. A confrontation between RWMS and the victim escalated into a physical beating, after which the other suspects exited the vehicle and joined the mob attack.