Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Sutisna presented on Thursday a special commendation to First Brigadier I Ketut Subarjo for his achievement of apprehending a suspected serial rapist believed to be the perpetrator of a recent flurry of sexual assaults on school children in Bali and Batam, Riau Islands province.
At predawn Sunday, Subarjo, who is from the Kuta Police Precinct, stopped a motorist on Jl. Pantai Kuta whose motorcycle license plate matched the number of one of the suspects in the sexual abuses case.
Subarjo removed the key from the motorcycle's ignition and questioned the rider.
The man, Subarjo, had a scar on his face similar to that in a police sketch based on eyewitness descriptions. Subarjo immediately arrested the man and called for back up.
The suspect was later identified as Mochammad Davis Suharto, aged 30, and confessed under interrogation to having attacked and raped five elementary school children in Bali and six other elementary school children in Batam. All of the victims are female.
Suharto claimed that he had been driven to commit the crimes by "supernatural voices" that spoke directly to him.
His arrest ended a three-month period of terror for parents and schools throughout the island and heightened security for children.
Sutisna also presented commendations to a team of detectives from the Denpasar police for their hand in solving the murder last December of Japanese national Hiromi Shimada.
"These members of the force, who have carried out their duties in an excellent and commendable manner, have made us proud to be part of the police force," Sutisna said, adding that the commendation would likely lead to future promotions for the officers.
"I certainly hope that the commendations will encourage the recipients to work hard to serve and protect the community," he added.
Separately, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Gumelar called on the judiciary system to hand down a heavy sentence to Suharto.
"I ask that this man be given a strong sentence because what he has done has damaged the future of these children," she said.
Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika congratulated the Bali Police on the arrest of the suspected rapist.
"The arrest shows that our police force has worked relentlessly to bring the perpetrator of this hideous crime to justice," he said.
However, he said, the law enforcement bodies, including the prosecutors office and judges, must ensure the suspect would not escape punishment by exploiting loop holes in the law.
"This kind of case often crumbles during the trial stage due to a lack of evidence and witness testimonies.
"The police and the prosecutors must work diligently to construct an airtight indictment," the former three-star police general advised.
