Man ‘abducts’ Facebook acquaintance

The Jakarta Police are currently investigating Febriari, an 18-year-old man suspected of having kidnapped his underage girlfriend, Marietta Nova Triane, on Saturday.

Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said on Tuesday that investigators had declared Febriari a suspect after cornering him and his 14-year old girlfriend at a restaurant in Tangerang last night.

Following their arrest, both of them were questioned by Jakarta Police.

The victim’s parents were also present to accompany their daughter.

Febriari from Tangerang and Nova from Sidoarjo, East Java, met through popular social networking site Facebook five months ago.

Both Febriari and Nova claimed they were married on their respective pages on Facebook on Jan 20.

A day before Febriari allegedly kidnapped Nova, they met in Tanah Kusir subdistrict, South Jakarta, but the rendezvous upset Nova’s mother.

On Saturday afternoon, Febriari and his two friends were seen in front of Nova’s relatives’ house in Bumi Serpong Damai in South Tangerang before taking off with Nova.

The family realized Nova was missing at 8:00 p.m. when Nova’s father went looking for her.

During Tuesday’s investigation, neither Nova, her parents nor Febriari commented on the case.

Febriari covered his face with a newspaper while trying to avoid journalists when entering the general criminal investigation room inside the police complex.

The victim was undergoing further examination at the children and women’s service unit at the complex because she was a minor, Adj.Sr. Comr. Fadhil Imran, the deputy director of the General Criminal Directorate, said Tuesday.

Boy said that the police charged the suspect as he violated a 2003 law on child protection by allegedly taking away a child without the child’s parents’ consent.

“The suspect faces a maximum of nine years in prison if found guilty,” he said.

He added that Nova confessed that she had sexual intercourse with Febriari three times at Febriari’s mother’s house in Serang.

“Ari could be charged with rape if the sexual intercourse was against Nova’s will,” he said.

He said that doctors had performed an examination of the victim at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta.

“The results of Nova’s medical examination at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, will be available in another two or three days,” he said.

Nova’s parents filed a missing person report with the police last Saturday.

“We tried to call her but there was no answer because her cell phone was switched off,” Herbuningsih, Nova’s aunt, was quoted as saying by Warta Kota daily on Tuesday. (not)