Indonesian woman killed, corpse gang-raped, then burned

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Police have arrested four men they allege were involved in the murder a 20-year-old woman from Pedataran subdistrict, Muaraenim, South Sumatra, whose corpse was then gang-raped and burned.

Residents of South Sumatra were shocked when they discovered her burned body in a paddy field in Sungai Rambutan subdistrict, Ogan Ilir.

The corpse was found on a burned mattress and an earring was also found at the site.

According to the head of Ogan Ilir Police’s crime investigation unit, Adj. Comr. Maliki Fahrin, the body was found by local farmer Tugino, 43, and his son Agus Rianto, 20. At first they thought it was an animal carcass.

After taking a closer look, they realized it was a human body, so they took pictures and reported their finding to nearby subdistrict officials.

Police say the circumstances that led to the woman’s death, whom they identify as IA, began when she arrived at the home of a man they refer to as AS on Saturday at 9 p.m. There, police say, she was also greeted by Tete, 22 Feri, 30, and two 16-year-old boys. Police claim they asked her to join a party taking place in the house and to consume crystal methamphetamine with them.

In the middle of the party, AS allegedly asked IA for sex in lieu of Rp 1.5 million that she had previously borrowed from him. IA reportedly refused, but AS allegedly forced her into a bedroom where she continued struggling to escape, so police say AS asked others to hold her down.

Since IA still kept fighting, police claim AS hit her head with a heavy wooden beam and strangled her with a wire until she was dead. Apparently unaware that the woman had been killed, AS and Tete allegedly raped her while the others watched. The victim’s body was then put into a sack and carried to a pickup truck. AS then allegedly asked one of the 16-year-old boys to buy gasoline.

South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Zulkarnain Adinegara revealed on Wednesday that four of the suspects, Tete, Feri and the two 16-year-olds, had been arrested and the pickup allegedly used to carry the victim’s body had been seized.

He said police were searching for AS.

“AS is still on the run,” Zulkarnain said at the Bhayangkara Palembang Hospital on Wednesday.

An uncle of IA named Burhan said he and his family went to Palembang to undergo DNA tests to make sure that the burned body actually belonged to IA.

He said his niece had been missing since Saturday after she said she was going to AS’ place. "We heard nothing since she left. Then we saw in social media news of a body being burned so we came to Palembang to check,” he said.

Burhan said IA had a child. - The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network