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TNI member among suspects in murder of journalist in North Sumatra
The victim had allegedly blackmailed one of the the suspects, a nightclub owner in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra.
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An illustration of a crime scene. (Shutterstock/Fer Gregory)
T
he North Sumatra Police have named three suspects in the alleged murder of Mara Salem Harahap, the editor-in-chief of local media outlet lassernewstoday.com, in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra.
The three suspects are S, 53, the owner of a nightclub in the city; A, 38, an Indonesian Military (TNI) member and YFP, 30, a staff member at the nightclub. A’s case was handled by the military police of the Bukit Barisan Military Command I, while the Pematang Siantar Police handled the other two suspects.
North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Panca Putra Simanjuntak said investigators questioned 57 witnesses before naming the three suspects in the case.
“We found that S was upset with the victim’s reportage of alleged drug trafficking in the former’s nightclub,” Panca said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Read also: Assault of 'Tempo' journalist raises fresh concerns about press freedom
According to the police’s investigation, the victim often went to the nightclub and requested two ecstasy pills from S every day. Should S refuse to comply, the victim would threaten to publish reports about drug trafficking that would lead to the nightclub’s closure.
“S initially gave the victim a modest amount [of ecstasy pills]. But the victim insisted on two pills a day. Each pill is worth Rp 200,000 [US$13.86], meaning that S spent around Rp 12 million for the victim’s request,” Panca said.
