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Man arrested for abusing daughter, murdering babies in Central Java
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Police officers flank a sexual abuse and murder suspect (center) at the Banyumas Police headquarters in Central Java on June 27, 2023. (Kompas/Megandika Wicaksono)
T
he Central Java Police have arrested a 57-year-old man in Banyumas for allegedly sexually abusing one of his daughters for years, leading to multiple pregnancies, and murdering the babies conceived as a result of the incest.
Banyumas Police chief Sr. Comr. Edy Suranta Sitepu said the first pregnancy happened in 2008, when the victim was 13 years old. The baby born was then adopted by one of their neighbors in Tanjung subdistrict.
However, when the victim gave birth to another baby in 2015, the suspect murdered the infant by burying it alive shortly after its birth.
The victim then became pregnant again and gave birth in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, and all of the babies were immediately murdered by the suspect, police said.
The case was revealed after villagers found human remains wrapped in cloth on June 15.
On June 23, police arrested the suspect, who confessed to the crimes
Police chief Edy said the suspect was charged under the Child Protection Law and the Criminal Code. He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the murder charges.
Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Iqbal Alqudusy said the police would continue investigating the case. “So far we have only found evidence of four baby skeletons,” he said. He added that the police would provide protection and trauma-healing assistance for the victim now aged 28. (dre/gev)
