A Depok resident who left her children unsupervised for a week met with her family again Sunday after the police decided to delay arresting her until after they have arrested her husband.
Yanti and her husband Dadan left their rented house in Sukmajaya, Depok, last Saturday, leaving behind their four children, Windy, 8, Risky, 5, Lina, 3, and Siti, 5 months. It was reported they had neither entrusted the children to relatives nor explained their actions.
Neighbors suspect the incident occurred because the husband and wife had difficulties paying off mounting debt and reported the case to the police, who took custody of the four children.
Several days later, Depok Social Services relocated the children to the Fathul Khoir orphanage in Cimanggis.
Late Saturday night, Yanti arrived at the orphanage to meet her children. Accompanied by several neighbors, she surrendered herself to Depok Police officers.
Depok Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Saidal Mursalin said police would not arrest Yanti until they had arrested Dadan and had determined who was responsible for the neglect.
“We haven’t charged her with anything,” he said was quoted as saying Sunday by news portal tempointeraktif.com.
Arresting Yanti, he added, was not in the best interests of her children, who needed her at the moment.
Saidal said the police believe Dadan, who worked as public minivan driver, might still be at large in the Depok area.
After being questioned by police, Yanti met her children on Sunday afternoon. State Women’s Empowerment Minister Linda Agum Gumelar and Depok Deputy Mayor Yuyun Wirasaputra were present.
Linda asked Yanti to consider sending her children to school.
“You should talk to the management of the foundation [that runs the orphanage] to help you make
the right choice for your children,” she said.
Yanti said her family was poor. Windy, her oldest child, had never gone to school, although at her age, she should technically be in elementary school.
Earlier, when Yanti was still at large, several people had come forward expressing their willingness to help Yanti and her husband settle their debts, if they would return to their children.
“I have received three calls from people who said they wanted to help [Yanti and Dadan] pay off their debts,” Ripto, the head of Yanti’s neighborhood unit, said.
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