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Murder of Christian woman preacher allegedly motivated by personal grudge
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The head of the Indonesian Evangelical Christian Church (GKII) Pastor Trisno Kurniadi (left) speaks to two men suspected of murdering a women pastoral candidate at the South Sumatra Police headquarters in Palembang on Friday, March 29. (JP/Yulia Savitri)
T
he murder of a Christian woman preacher, identified as MZ, in Air Sugihan district, Ogan Komering Ilir regency in South Sumatra may have been motivated by a personal grudge, police have said.
A joint team of the Ogan Komering Ilir and South Sumatra Police arrested two men identified as Nang, 20, and Hendri, 18, on Wednesday, two days after the murder.
The arrests were made after police questioned four witnesses and conducted DNA testing of the victim’s saliva, South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Zulkarnain Adinegara said.
Investigators believe the murder was premeditated, Zulkarnain said.
Nang admitted to the murder during police questioning, saying that he was seeking revenge. A worker in a local oil palm plantation, Nang said that he was in love with the victim. In the past eight months, Nang said he often saw MZ heading to a local market.
A week before the incident, Nang said he had been offended by comments made by the victim.
“She told me I was ugly. I liked her but I was afraid to express my feelings,” he told reporters on Friday at the South Sumatra police headquarters in Palembang. Nang was in a wheelchair during questioning as his leg had been injured after being shot by police during his arrest.
