Three soldiers, identified only by their initials, RM from a unit of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres), J of Iskandar Muda Military Command in Aceh and HS from the Army headquarters, were arrested for the alleged abduction and murder of Imam, a shopkeeper, over the weekend.

The soldiers came to the cosmetics shop where Imam worked in South Tangerang, Banten, on Aug. 12, pretending to be police officers looking to arrest Imam and his coworker for selling illicit drugs, such as tramadol, according to Jakarta Military Police chief Col. Irsyad Hamdie Bey Anwar.

Tramadol is a pain medication used to treat moderate to severe pain that is not being relieved by other types of pain medicines. Since tramadol is a synthetic opioid that can cause euphoria and addiction, it cannot be bought without prescription.

The three soldiers, who are also Aceh natives, then took the two individuals away from the shop, Irsyad said.

He added that the kidnappers later released Imam's coworker near the Cikeas toll road in Bogor, West Java, because he was hyperventilating.

The soldiers then took Imam to an unidentified location, abused him and contacted his parents to ask for Rp 50 million (US$3,278) for his release. They also sent a video of Imam's torture to the family.