JAKARTA: Deputy chair of House of Representatives Commission III overseeing law enforcement, Sari Yuliati, has called for a thorough investigation into the death of Rizkil Watoni, a civil servant in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), who reportedly took his own life after being extorted by a local police officer.
"I urge the NTB Police to conduct a serious and transparent investigation into this case and impose strict sanctions on any officers found guilty of intimidation or procedural violations," she said on Wednesday (March 19), as reported by Antara.
Sari urged the police to act professionally and take decisive action to prevent any abuse of power by officers.
The Golkar Party politician stressed that maintaining public trust is crucial for upholding the stability and authority of law enforcement.
"House of Representatives Commission III will closely monitor the case to ensure the judicial process is carried out fairly and transparently," she stated.
Rizkil was found hanging in his room on Monday afternoon, with a message reading "honesty is useless" scrawled on a nearby wall.
Rizkil's father, Nasruddin, believes his son's suicide was prompted by extortion attempt by an officer of the Kayangan Police in North Lombok regency.
"My son did not take his own life; he was mentally murdered by a police officer," he said on Sunday, as quoted by Tribunnews.
According to Nasruddin, the extortion began after Rizkil was accused of stealing a mobile phone at a convenience store on March 7.
The incident occurred when the 25-year-old reportedly asked the store clerk to charge his phone at the checkout counter while he shopped, as his battery was running low.
However, when Rizkil finished shopping, he allegedly took the store clerk's mobile phone by mistake, instead of his own. Rizkil returned to the store a few hours later, but by then, the store clerk had already reported the incident to the Kayangan Police, leading to his detention.
After hearing Rizkil's story, the Kayangan Police agreed to carry out a restorative justice process and asked both Rizkil and the store clerk to sign a peace agreement.
Rizkil was required to pay a Rp 2 million (US$121) fine to the store clerk, and in exchange, the clerk agreed to withdraw the police report against him.
After the incident, Rizkil, who was still required to report regularly to the Kayangan Police, said he was often contacted by an officer who claimed his case had been forwarded to the prosecutor's office.
The officer allegedly pressured Rizkil to confess to stealing the phone and demanded a bribe of Rp 15 million, which later increased to Rp 90 million, to drop the charges. This ordeal reportedly caused Rizkil to become severely depressed.
The story of the alleged extortion quickly spread on social media, triggering anger among residents of Sesait village, where Rizkil lived.
On Monday night, just hours after his death, hundreds of villagers stormed the Kayangan Police station. They tore down the station’s fences, hurled rocks at the windows, and set several vehicles on fire in the parking lot. Authorities were able to restore order a few hours later
North Lombok Police chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Agus Purwanta swiftly denied the extortion claims against an officer of the Kayangan police.
"It’s just a rumour. No police officers asked [Rizkil] for money," he said on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
