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18-year-old detained for allegedly raping Indonesian student
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Participants of a march hold posters showing the number of rape and domestic violence victims in a year. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)
A
n 18-year-old man has been arrested as a suspect for the violent rape of an Indonesian exchange student in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, over the weekend, an Indonesian official confirmed.
The police detained on Tuesday evening an unidentified 18-year-old man from Rotterdam, according to Dutch public broadcasting organization NOS.
How the police tracked down the man remains unclear, but the report states that the police had dispatched a team of 20 people to work on the case.
The police have so far questioned about 20 witnesses and identified the route taken by the student. Furthermore, images from CCTV cameras were obtained to identify the alleged offender, who the police described as a dark-skinned man wearing a hooded jacket and riding a black bicycle.
Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands IGA Wesaka Puja confirmed the arrest late on Wednesday.
“Based on information from the police, a person has been arrested for further questioning, in accordance with the applicable rules in the Netherlands,” Puja told The Jakarta Post.
He did not elaborate, saying the police were limiting information on the case.
A previous police report said the victim was riding a bicycle from Rotterdam Station to her residence on Herman Bavinckstraat at around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, when she was allegedly attacked.
According to another local report, the assailant had allegedly strangled her using a bicycle chain lock, injuring her to the extent that she had to be rushed to the hospital.
The police said on Sunday the victim was unavailable for questioning, as she had recently undergone surgery, NOS reports. The victim's identity will not be revealed over privacy concerns.
Ambassador Puja was unable to confirm her condition, saying the hospital has restricted all information going out. “May we pray for her quick recovery,” he said.
