Woman says daughter abducted a second time

JAKARTA (JP): A woman has filed a missing person's report with Jakarta Police Headquarters, saying her 20-year-old daughter was abducted last Wednesday for the second time in six months.

Veronica Tatik Sutiya, 58, said on Monday that Wahyu Sutati Dewi left her home in Alfa Indah housing complex in West Jakarta at about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The student from Perbanas banking college drove her sedan to choir practice at Tiberias Protestant Church in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

"Dewi called me at about 9:30 p.m. the same day, telling me she was on her way home. But she has not appeared until today."

However, she said her daughter called her at least once every day since Wednesday.

"She always tells me in a really frightened voice that she's coming home. But she hasn't."

Veronica said Dewi drove a 1992 Great Toyota Corolla bearing license number B 2008 TD.

She described her daughter as 169 centimeters tall, with a round, dimpled face, a blemish on her chin, shoulder-length wavy hair and white skin.

Veronica believed her daughter was being held by the same men who kidnapped Dewi last December and held her against her will at a hotel.

She identified the men as Chaerul and Johan, who were arrested by the police but later released.

"That time they kept my daughter hostage for three days. She was released and arrived home two days before Christmas."

She said the men held the girl at Hotel C in Plumpang, North Jakarta, and tried to force her to take drugs.

"When she refused, they burned oil and pressed it against Dewi's cheek.

"The two suspects did not beat her but took away her 1994 white Suzuki Esteem sedan."

Veronica said she sought medical opinions on her daughter's condition at several hospitals before admitting her to Pelni Hospital for 10 days.

The hospital said Dewi was not raped but it would take time for her to recover emotionally from the ordeal.

Veronica said Dewi was unable to keep food down during the first few days of her hospitalization.

"After that, I reported the case to the West Jakarta Police the following month. The detectives succeeded in apprehending Chaerul and Johan, but the police said that I had to pay Rp 10 million to get the car back," she said.

Veronica said she had no option but to pay for the return of the car.

"I initially felt it was too much, but I thought that I would sell the car anyway and get Rp 55 million, which I then used to buy the Toyota Corolla sedan, which is now missing with my daughter."

Veronica said the men were questioned for about two weeks before being released.

"The police told me that no witness could be brought for questioning about the alleged kidnapping ... so, they had to drop the case," she said.

"I told them that this (kidnapping) might happen again if they were let loose."

She said Dewi met Chaerul, 20, when the family lived on Jl. Kelapa Muda in North Jakarta.

"Dewi used to go to a nearby hairdressing salon in which Chaerul introduced himself," she said.

"I never guessed that he would kidnap my daughter."

A detective at the Jakarta Police said officers had yet to begin investigating the report because of a backlog of criminal cases.

"There are just too many cases piling up here. Our priority is the fraud cases. There's just no time to probe her case at the moment," the police source, who asked for anonymity, said on Monday. (ylt)