T

he South Jakarta Police said that the submission of dossiers to the prosecutor'€™s office in the case of two girls aged 9 and 15 years, who were allegedly repeatedly raped by their 60-year-old uncle, was still waiting for the completion of the investigation.

'€œFrom what we have heard, the investigation is ongoing. The investigators can always ask for an extension to the suspect'€™s detention if the dossiers are incomplete,'€ South Jakarta Police spokesperson Adj. Comr. Agus Minarno told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Previously, the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) criticized the police for being slow in investigating the case after the parents of the victims reported the case to the Tigaraksa Police in Tangerang, Banten, four months ago.

According to the victims'€™ parents, the 9-year-old had been allegedly raped repeatedly since she was in first grade until third grade, while the 15-year-old had been allegedly raped since she was in kindergarten until the fifth grade. The uncle reportedly threatened to hurt the girls if they told their parents, so they stayed quiet for more than five years.

Although the Tigaraksa Police are responsible for investigating the case, the suspect has been held at the South Jakarta Police headquarters for more than 40 days. The commission said the girls were scared because the suspect'€™s detention would expire within less than 20 days.

Agus said patience was needed for any investigation and that the Criminal Law Procedures Code allowed the police to detain suspects for a total of 60 days. If the investigation was not finished after 60 days, prosecutors could ask for another 50-day extension to complete their investigation.

Separately, Komnas PA chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait told the Post that the police had sufficient evidence to complete the dossiers.

'€œThere is enough evidence in the medical examinations of the victims and also from statements of reliable witnesses,'€ he said.

The case first came to light when the mother found blood spots and green mucus on the younger girl'€™s underwear, which she said a doctor claimed was consistent with symptoms of cervical cancer. The same doctor said that if the girl was not treated at the hospital, it could spread and become life threatening.

Although the commission did not understand the reason for the slow progress of the investigation, Arist acknowledged that the police might want to make sure that adequate evidence was gathered to avoid the prosecutor'€™s office rejecting the dossiers.

In the meantime, Arist said, the commission had sent a letter to the Tigaraksa Police requesting to see the results of the investigation to date. The police have yet to respond, he said.

'€œWe just want to support the victims and make sure that the suspect faces trial,'€ he said.

Komnas PA is also providing the girls with therapy and has contributed toward the cost of medication. (fss)