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outh Jakarta Police investigators say that a key witness has been able to provide a physical description of the assailant of Raafi Aga Winasya Benjamin.

Raafi, a Pangudi Luhur high school student, was allegedly murdered by an unidentified man last week when he was with friends at the Shy Rooftop nightclub in Kemang, South Jakarta. The incident has attracted media attention due to rumors of the involvement of individuals connected to high profile figures.

South Jakarta Police detective unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Irawan said on Friday that the key witness, who was able to provide a description of the perpetrator, was one of Raafi’s friends who was also injured during the incident.

“We still have not asked him [the witness] for further information because his condition is still weak,” Budi said.

He added that the witness could only provide a description of the perpetrator’s physical attributes, such as height and figure, but he could not see the murderer’s face.

Meanwhile, Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) chairman Abdul Haris Semendawai said that his institution would be proactive in protecting all witnesses related to Raafi’s alleged murder.

“We will look for all information regarding their [witnesses] addresses and will determine whether they need protection,” Abdul said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday, saying that so far, no witness had requested protection from the LPSK.

“We are going to coordinate with the local police to find the witnesses and their addresses, so we can meet them in person to offer protection.”

Abdul stressed that protection was essential because there were only a few key witnesses who would be able to assist with the case.

Several rumors have been circulating regarding the facts behind the alleged murder. One is that
Raafi was murdered by a member of a notorious gang in Kemang. The gang member was socializing with his boss, the son of a top figure in a notorious mass organization, and another individual who was the son of an executive director of a large bank. The three were rumored to be sat at a table near Raafi and his friends.

Another rumor was that the assailant could be related to a high ranking police officer because he was seen fleeing the scene in a car with a police license plate.

The police have denied all these rumors and have said that they are still collecting evidence.

Law enforcement has been criticized by police watchdogs for being slow in investigating the case and that this might have something to do with an attempted cover-up.

The police argue that the investigation has encountered problems because the restaurant’s management decided to clean the crime scene before investigators arrived.

Budi previously said that the management could face nine months imprisonment if they were proven to have intentionally removed evidence.

—JP/ Hans David Tampubolon