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Murder in upscale neighborhood purely violent robbery gone wrong
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Almyanda Saphira (center) the mother of Dianita Gemma Dzalfayla dan Diona Arika Andra Putri, the victims of a mass killing in Pulo Mas, East Jakarta, lays flowers at her daughters' grave on Dec 28. (ANTARA/Muhammad Adimaja) (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja) (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
W
ith all suspects caught, one of whom was shot dead for resisting arrest, the Jakarta Police have confirmed that a robbery was the only motive behind the fatal incarceration of 11 people in an upscale Jakarta residential area.
The police have put to rest any speculation of premeditated murder, as previously suspected by the public.
“Based on questioning, the evidence and profiling of the suspects, we have come to the conclusion that the motive was to carry out a robbery,” said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono on Monday.
The conclusion was made after the police arrested Ridwan Sitorus alias Ius Pane alias Marihot Sitorus, at a bus station in Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday morning.
Ridwan, a repeat offender in armed robbery cases, was released from prison in November 2015 after serving four-and-a-half years.
Ridwan and his alleged accomplices, Erwin Situmorang, Ramlan Butar Butar and Alfins Bernius Sinaga entered a house in the Pulo Mas neighborhood in East Jakarta on Dec. 26 and locked 11 people inside a 1.5 by 1.5 meter bathroom.
They then left with a Rolex watch and foreign currency amounting to more than Rp 60 million (US$4,433), while leaving the victims in the small bathroom for 15 hours.
Six people died due to suffocation; Dodi Triono, 59, the owner of the house; Diona Andika Andra Putri, 16, Dodi’s eldest daughter from his second marriage; Dianita Gemma Dzalfayla, 9, Dodi’s youngest daughter from his second marriage; Amalia Calista, 9, Dianita’s friend staying the night at the house; and Dodi’s drivers, Tasrok and Yanto.
Two days after the robbery, the police arrested Ramlan and Erwin in Bojong, Rawalumbu, Bekasi, West Java. Ramlan, the suspected robbery mastermind, was shot dead while Erwin was shot in his thigh for resisting arrest.
Alfins was apprehended at a house in Villa Mas Indah, also in Bekasi.
Following the incident, there was widespread speculation among the public that the crime might have been premeditated murder given that Dodi was an architect and a developer involved in one of Jakarta’s strategic development projects.
“The case is pure robbery. Within just a week, Ridwan and his team robbed two other houses in different locations before they went to Pulo Mas,” Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan said.
Iriawan said the gang was suspected of being involved in a robbery in Purwakarta and Bogor, both in West Java.
Despite their ruthlessness, the gang has no record of killing their victims, according to the police.
Erwin reportedly begged the police to shoot him on account of guilt after learning the victims had died.
“Despite the fact that Erwin had carried out robberies several times before, he felt guilty as he had never killed anyone,” said Argo, adding that the gang had a habit of gathering victims in one room.
Argo said the suspects chipped in a total of Rp 4 million ($296) to fund their activities.
With Ridwan being the last suspect apprehended, the police will soon conduct a crime reconstruction, which is required to build a strong case for further prosecution, Argo says.
Ridwan and his accomplices will be charged with robbery resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Prior to his arrest, Ridwan took a bus to Medan on Friday from Bogor, West Java.
The bus driver, Marwan Nasution, said he was surprised to learn that Ridwan, a friendly passenger, was apparently a fugitive.
“I didn’t know that he was a fugitive as we chatted along the trip from Bogor to Medan,” Marwan said.
Marwan said Ridwan had asked to get off the bus in the middle of the trip. However, Marwan refused to grant his request because it was company policy to drop all passengers off at the destination station for security reasons.
