JAKARTA: The family of Foreign Ministry employee Arya Daru Pangayunan has urged President Prabowo Subianto to intervene in uncovering the truth behind his mysterious death, maintaining that he was murdered despite police concluding no crime was involved.
The 39-year-old junior diplomat, who specialised in the protection of Indonesian citizens abroad, was found dead on July 8 inside his rooming house in Gondangdia, Central Jakarta. He was lying on his bed with his head wrapped in plastic and yellow duct tape, in a room locked from the inside.
On July 29, police reported no signs of foul play in Arya’s death and noted he had been suffering from burnout before his passing, but stopped short of directly stating that he took his own life.
Arya’s father, Subaryono, has urged President Prabowo Subianto to order a reinvestigation into the case, stressing that many key questions remain unanswered by the authorities.
“I earnestly urge President Prabowo to instruct the National Police Chief and the Foreign Minister to thoroughly investigate this case. We hope the truth will soon come to light and that Arya and our family will receive justice,” he said during a press conference on Saturday (Aug 23) as reported by Kompas.id.
The family’s legal representative, Nicholay Aprilindo, criticised the police for allegedly overlooking important information provided by the family in reaching their conclusion
“One example is that Arya had already made detailed preparations for his new posting at the Indonesian Embassy in Helsinki, Finland. He, his wife, and their two children were all excited about the move. How could someone who was happy about his promotion, had carefully planned a move to another country, including arranging his children’s schooling, suddenly abandon all of that? It doesn’t make sense. It defies logic and reason,” Nicholay said.
Nicholay also highlighted other suspicious details that were allegedly ignored by police, including activity on Arya’s WhatsApp and Instagram accounts after his death, which were both accessed from his missing phone.
The family also received a mysterious package a day after his passing, delivered to their home and received by the household maid. The package contained pieces of cut styrofoam shaped like a star, a heart and a frangipani flower, all placed inside a brown envelope.
The police autopsy also detected Chlorpheniramine Maleate (CTM), an antihistamine with sedative properties, in Arya’s bloodstream. However, the family maintains that Arya had no history of allergies and no known reason to be taking the drug.
“Where did the CTM come from, and in what amount? These questions have yet to be answered,” Nicholay said.
He added that the autopsy report also revealed minor injuries on Arya’s body, including bruises and cuts on one of his eyelids, his inner arms, and the inside of his lips. However, the police have yet to provide a satisfactory explanation for these injuries.
The family also argued that the duct tape covering Arya’s face was applied too neatly to have been done by himself. They added that it was unlikely for someone taking their own life to use such a complicated method, as most people tend to choose the quickest and least painful way possible.
Last month, the Jakarta Police said that their investigation had concluded that Arya’s death was “the result of upper airway obstruction” and that his death occurred without the involvement of anyone else.
"Only Arya’s own fingerprint was found on the duct tape around his head and that the investigation found no evidence of physical or psychological threats or violence directed at Arya before his death," said the Jakarta Police director for general crimes Sr Comr Wira Satya Triputra.
Police previously said that CCTV footage showed that Arya, on the evening before the discovery of his body, visited a shopping mall in Jakarta and later took a taxi to the Foreign Ministry building, where he went to the rooftop. Arya reportedly spent an hour near midnight on the rooftop and attempted to climb a wall there before returning to his rooming house.
An analysis of Arya’s email history revealed that he had contacted mental health services in 2013 and 2021.
“There were several emails sent that indicated an intention to commit suicide due to problems he was facing at the time,” a forensic psychology investigator said in the Tuesday press briefing.
In their three-week investigation, police had questioned at least 22 witnesses, including Arya’s coworkers, a taxi driver, the boarding house guard and owner and Arya’s wife. - The Jakarta/ANN
