DENPASAR: Bali Police have launched an investigation into the fatal stabbing of a Dutch national in the popular tourist hub of North Kuta, the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting foreign visitors on the island.
Authorities said the 49-year-old man, identified only as RP, was attacked while returning to his villa at around 11pm on Monday (March 23). He had been walking with his Indonesian girlfriend, identified only as PI, when they encountered two unidentified men on a motorcycle along the road leading to their villa.
The two men, who had initially passed the couple, soon turned back and began pursuing them. PI hid in nearby bushes while one of the assailants attacked RP with a knife. The second attacker later joined the assault after failing to locate PI.
The assailants fled the scene immediately after the attack. PI thereafter sought help from nearby residents, who then contacted emergency responders. RP was rushed to BIMC Hospital in South Kuta, Bali, but died shortly afterward despite medical efforts. He had suffered severe blood loss from multiple stab wounds to his neck, face, right arm, left shoulder and back.
Authorities said RP had been in Bali for 13 days before the attack. North Kuta police chief Adj. Comr. Ketut Agus Pasek Sudina said the first suspect was wearing a blue mask and a black helmet, along with a black ojol (online motorcycle transportation) jacket. The second man, seated behind, was not wearing a helmet and wore an orange T-shirt.
Police said both had been seen loitering near the villa before the attack. “Police are actively investigating to identify these attackers,” Ketut said on Tuesday.
Authorities have so far questioned three witnesses in the case, including PI. Police also examined the crime scene, where they recovered several items of evidence, including a pair of glasses, a mobile phone, a knife with a detached handle, and parts of a flashlight.
“Unfortunately, the villa was not equipped with CCTV cameras. However, we were able to obtain footage from a nearby house,” Ketut said.
Police are investigating the possibility that the attack was premeditated, noting that the perpetrators did not take any of the victim’s belongings, including phones or jewellery. There are unverified reports suggesting the two suspects may have been foreigners, though this has not been independently confirmed.
The incident comes just weeks after the kidnapping and murder of 28-year-old Ukrainian tourist Igor Komarov in Bali's Jimbaran tourist area. Komarov was attacked and abducted by a group of foreigners while riding scooters with two friends on Jl. Pura Batu Meguwung on Feb. 15.
Shortly afterward, a video circulated on social media showing a man believed to be Komarov, visibly injured, pleading for help and mentioning a ransom demand of US$10 million.
On Feb 27, a local resident discovered dismembered and decomposing human remains near Ketewel Beach in Bali's Sukawati district about 30km from where Komarov went missing. Police later confirmed the remains belonged to him.
Authorities have identified six foreign suspects in the case, identified only as RM, VK, AS, VN, SM and DH. All the suspects remain at large, with four believed to have left Indonesia via Ngurah Rai International Airport and the remaining two thought to still be in the country.
In June last year, Australian tourist Zivan Radmanovic, 32, was killed shortly after midnight when two armed assailants stormed his villa in Badung regency, Bali, and opened fire. A second Australian national, Sanar Ghanim, 34, present at the scene, sustained gunshot injuries.
Police later arrested three Australians in connection with the attack: Mevlut Coskun, 22, Paea-I-Middlemore Tupou, 26, and Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27. The trio were recently sentenced by the Denpasar District Court to 12–16 years in prison for premeditated murder and illegal possession of firearms.
Bali has experienced a worrying rise in violent crimes involving foreign nationals in recent years, amid a surge in tourism on the island. Bali Police recorded 225 arrests of foreign nationals for various crimes last year, slightly lower than the 230 in 2024 but still up 16 percent from 194 in 2023.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign nationals who fell victim to crime in Bali rose 47 per cent last year to 339, compared with 230 in 2024. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
