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Alleged sex offender released from custody
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Activists from the Women Human Rights Defenders' Network stage a protest to commemorate International Women's Day in front of the Padang Legislative Council building in Padang, West Sumatra, on March 8. (ANTARA FOTO/Iggoy el Fitra)
T
he East Kalimantan Police were forced to release an alleged sex offender at the end of his detention period on Friday due to lack of evidence.
Pandu Dharma Wicaksono stands accused of sexually assaulting nine children in several cities. He was arrested in Yogyakarta in November last year and officially detained from Jan. 16 to Feb. 14. His detention period was then extended to March 16, putting him in police custody for a total of 120 days.
During that time, the case dossier completed by the police was rejected by the Balikpapan Prosecutors’ Office, which considered the documents incomplete due to lack of evidence.
“The suspect did not walk free, we have only postponed his detention. We will still proceed with the legal process and keep coordinating with the prosecutors,” the East Kalimantan Police’s director of general crimes investigation, Sr. Comr. Hilman, said on Monday.
Prosecutors have asked investigators to question both the suspect and witnesses using a lie detector, Hilman said, adding that the police may also bring in an expert witness for the case.
Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) commissioner Putu Elvina lamented the slowness in which the case was progressing, saying that the KPAI planned to contact the Attorney General and National Police chief, and urge them to swiftly complete the investigation.
“It could serve as a bad precedent for those who want to seek justice, especially victims of sexual offenses,” Elvina said.
Pandu was a social and political science major at Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM). He was arrested in his rented room following several reports against him from parents.
