young woman in Mojokerto regency, East Java, reportedly died by suicide on Thursday after accusations appeared online that her boyfriend, a police officer, had raped her and forced her to have an abortion.
Her death elicited public outrage and demands that authorities investigate the case thoroughly.
A post from a Twitter account claiming to be operated by the woman’s friend alleged that she had been drugged and raped by her boyfriend and that he had forced her to abort the ensuing pregnancy. The post has been deleted.
East Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Gatot Repli Handoko said on Saturday that the police were investigating the online accusations, tempo.co reported.
East Java Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Slamet Hadi Supraptoyo said at a press briefing on Saturday that the woman had died by suicide and that the police had found a toxic drink containing potassium close to her body.
The police have formed a team to investigate the case further and are holding the woman’s boyfriend, a second brigadier of the Pasuruan Police, for questioning.
Slamet claimed the woman had had two abortions, one in March 2020 and one in August of this year. He did not mention forced abortion but said the boyfriend had been charged with being “involved in an abortion” under Article 348 of the Criminal Code. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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