West Java Police: Kidnapping victim in Bandung blinded by boyfriend

The West Java Regional Police (Polda Jabar) have revealed that a woman, identified by the initials YTR (29), has suffered blindness and several severe injuries following her confinement by her partner, TH, in Bandung Regency for approximately three years.

West Java Regional Police Head of Public Relations, Kombes Pol. Hendra Rochmawan, stated that according to the medical examination results, the victim sustained serious injuries to her face and eyes. “It is certain that both of her eyes have gone blind based on the visum results; that is the most severe injury. Furthermore, six of her upper front teeth have been lost and her lip is cleft,” Hendra said in Bandung, West Java, on Monday.

Hendra noted that the suspect, TH, is currently being pursued by the police. “The perpetrator has not yet been arrested. We have just formed a joint task force,” he added.

He further explained that investigators have not yet been able to take a direct statement from the victim due to her limited physical condition and communication abilities. “The victim’s official police report (BAP) has not been processed because she is not yet able to communicate clearly,” he said.

The case came to light after the victim’s family received a WhatsApp message from an unknown individual informing them that the victim was in the Emergency Department of the Hasan Sadikin Hospital (RSHS) in Bandung. “Following that, the victim’s family went to RSHS and discovered that the victim had severe injuries to her head, face, and legs, as well as minor injuries to her hands,” he said.

He revealed that before being found in the hospital, the victim’s whereabouts had been unknown to her family for approximately three years. “The victim had previously disappeared, with no news or information regarding her whereabouts for about three years,” Hendra said.

According to the police, during that period, the victim is suspected to have endured repeated physical abuse inflicted by the suspect using hands, blunt objects, and sharp weapons, and her valuables were also stolen.