SINGAPORE: Two men were arrested by the Indonesian police on March 25 in connection with the suspected murder of a Singaporean man, whose wrapped-up body was found in one of the country’s largest rivers and cast in cement.
The 80-year-old man’s body was found in the Citanduy River in Cilacap, said local police in a statement on March 27. Cilacap is a coastal town in Central Java, more than 380km away from Jakarta, where the Singaporean was based.
A third man, suspected to have masterminded the alleged premeditated killing, is still at large, said Cilacap police chief Budi Adhy Buono.
He added that the death could be tied to a love triangle involving the deceased man, a woman and the suspected mastermind.
The Singaporean man had been reported missing in the Tanah Abang area of Jakarta, where he lived in his family home, Budi said, without revealing when he was reported missing.
A missing person’s notice, reported by local media, said that he was last seen driving a blue car towards Bogor, south of Jakarta, on Feb 16.
His body was found in the river on Feb 20 in a bad condition, Budi said.
“After confirming the victim was dead, the perpetrators then wrapped the victim’s body in plastic and a bed sheet, then attempted to cover their tracks by casting concrete before finally throwing the victim’s body into the Citanduy River,” explained the police chief.
The man’s identity was confirmed through coordination with the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police in Indonesia’s capital, said Budi.
An autopsy and investigations showed that he died after he was hit in the back of his neck with a bamboo pole, added the police chief.
According to Budi, the Singaporean was killed in a rented house in Sukabumi, West Java, at around 7.30pm on Feb 16. Sukabumi is around 110km south of Jakarta, and nearly 400km from Cilacap.
The victim was ill and had travelled to Sukabumi to seek alternative treatment, Budi said during a press conference on March 27.
He said the alleged mastermind was suspected of being jealous of his female friend’s relationship with the victim, and invited the two arrested suspects to plan the crime.
The case is being investigated by police in Sukabumi, where the alleged murder took place.
Budi said the suspects will be charged with premeditated murder and will face the death penalty if found guilty. - The Straits Times/ANN
