JAKARTA: A 63-year-old convicted serial killer has been arrested by Central Java Police for allegedly murdering a married couple, years after serving a prison sentence for multiple killings, raising fresh concerns over repeat offences by former inmates.
Sr Comr Dwi Subagio, director of the General Criminal Investigation Unit at the Central Java Police, said the suspect, identified as Ibin, allegedly killed the couple by serving them coffee laced with potassium cyanide.
“The suspect presented himself as a dukun [shaman] who claimed he could magically multiply money. The victims had handed over Rp 2 million [US$122] for the ritual,” Dwi said on Wednesday (Aug 20) as quoted by Kompas.com.
“He told them the coffee was part of the ritual,” Dwi added.
According to authorities, the victims, identified only as MR, 37, and NAT, 34, met Ibin, a distant neighbour, in June. During their conversation, the couple confided that they were struggling with debts totalling Rp 150 million.
Ibin then convinced them to take part in a money-doubling ritual, which he claimed could solve their financial problems. The couple gave him Rp 2.5 million to be “multiplied” and participated in several ritual sessions throughout the month.
However, when no results appeared, MR and NAT visited Ibin again on Aug 9, demanding an explanation. In response, Ibin allegedly prepared coffee laced with cyanide and gave it to the couple, claiming it was the final step of the ritual. He instructed them to drink it at a secluded location between 1am and 5am.
Following Ibin’s instructions, NAT and MR went to a stone quarry in Warungpiring, Pemalang regency, in the early hours of Aug 10 to carry out what they believed was the final step of the ritual, unaware that the coffee they had been given was laced with poison.
Their bodies were discovered around 9am by local residents, who immediately reported the finding to the Pemalang Police. Ibin was arrested six days later at his private residence.
Ibin was previously arrested and convicted for the murders of nine people in Tegal regency, using a similar modus operandi.
In 2004, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released on parole in 2019 from the high-security prison on Nusa Kambangan after serving 15 years. Police revealed that before the alleged murders of MR and NAT, Ibin had reportedly attempted to poison a man, identified only as AE, last year.
AE was also involved in Ibin’s money-doubling ritual, but when he was served coffee laced with cyanide, he grew suspicious and asked Ibin, who was drinking coffee himself, to swap their drinks.
Ibin refused and became hostile, leading to a confrontation that ended with Ibin fleeing the scene.
According to 2020 data from the Directorate General of Corrections, out of a total of 268,001 detainees and prisoners, 18.12 per cent were repeat offenders. Indonesia’s recidivism rate remains within the global range, which typically falls between 14 and 45 per cent. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
