Police have charged four people for the alleged rape of 11 female students at an Islamic school in Depok, West Java.
The suspects were listed as three ustaz (Islamic studies teachers) and one senior at the school.
The legal representative of three of their 11 alleged victims filed a complaint with the Jakarta Metro Police in late June, prompting an official investigation. The three girls claim that they were raped by the suspects on numerous occasions over the past year.
They told their parents when they recently went home for school break.
“Now our team is being proactive by going to the other victims,” Jakarta Metro Police spokesman Endra Zulpan said, explaining that testimonies from the other eight alleged victims are needed to make a stronger case against the suspects.
This case draws parallels to that of Herry Wirawan, who was found guilty of raping 13 of his students, aged 16 to 17, on various occasions from 2016 at a number of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) where he taught. His victims have given birth to 9 children.
In April, Herry was sentenced to death upon appeal, making this one of the heaviest punishments handed by a court to a convicted child molester in Indonesia. Under Indonesian law, child rapists generally get a maximum of 15 years in prison.
