Woman killed for asking suspect to marry her

JAKARTA (JP): Police say a Malaysian suspected of killing of a local woman in a five-star hotel here on Monday has confessed that he committed the crime because she insisted he marry her.

City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna announced yesterday the 26-year-old suspect, identified as Charanjit Dadwall, told interrogators the victim, who said she was a virgin, demanded that he marry her after they had sex.

The suspect said he became enraged when the victim threatened to tell her brother if he refused. He then strangled the woman and moved her body to the floor below. After that he checked out of the hotel and went to a nearby building to get a ticket leaving for Kuala Lumpur, Iman said.

"This is the suspect's version of what happened. Nobody else, except the victim, knew the truth," Iman said, adding that police had yet to verify the motive.

Asked to confirm a report that the victim had forced the Malaysian to pay Rp 1 million (US$440) for her virginity, Iman replied: "So far, we have found no basis to believe such a story."

The body of the victim, identified as Wati, 26, was found by a hotel security guard at 7:30 a.m. Monday lying near the emergency stairs in a corridor on the 12th floor of the 21-floor tower behind the main hotel building in Central Jakarta.

Next to Wati's body, which had injuries to the neck and face, police found a sheet and a pillow case from Dadwall's room 1481, located on the floor above.

The police found hair, believed to be that of the suspect, on Wati's body and blood and fingerprints, believed to be those of the victim, in his room, the police spokesman said.

Iman added that the sample of semen found at the crime site is still being examined at the police forensic laboratory.

The police also confiscated the victim's blood-stained underwear.

If guilty, the Malaysian textile businessman, who goes by two other names: Charanjit Singh and Gan Singh, could face a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Iman said that Dadwall and officials from the Malaysian embassy have agreed to appoint noted lawyer Amir Syamsuddin to defend him.

Based on Indonesian law, Dadwall, a resident of Jl. Dato Hj. Hasan 83000 KG Merdeka Baru, Pahat, in Johor, cannot be extradited to his country for trial because the crime was committed here.

The police report also indicates that the suspect and the victim checked in at the hotel at around 12 midnight on Sunday. The police believe they mutually consented to having sex.

Wati, a sales employee at the Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta, was introduced to Dadwall a few days previously by her friend, who works for a furniture firm, at the hotel lobby during a furniture exhibition.

At the time, Wati and a male friend of hers agreed to meet the suspect on Sunday evening at the hotel.

After Wati and her friend and his date met the suspect at the hotel on Sunday, they reportedly had dinner at a fast food restaurant and spent several hours for fun at the entertainment area in Ancol, North Jakarta.

The other couple dropped the suspect and the victim back at the hotel.

Dadwall was arrested at around 2:30 p.m. at a nearby building, several hours after Wati's body was found. "He was trying to get away," Iman said. (bsr)