A vape shop in Tebet, South Jakarta, is at the center of a murder investigation after its owner allegedly put out a bounty online for an alleged thief, with a reward of IDR5 milllion (US$380) for whoever can capture him.
The victim, Abi Qowi Suparto, was accused of stealing a vape worth IDR1.6 million (US$120) and a motorcycle from the shop on August 28. The shop’s owner, identified by his initials FKF, then put out the reward for Abi’s capture on the shop’s Instagram page. In the post, the shop owner made it a point about not getting the police involved, saying that Abi would be dealt with “internally.”
Abi was found in critical condition on the side of Jalan Penjernihan in Central Jakarta on August 29. Police believe several men captured and took him back to the vape shop, where he was brutally assaulted before he was left for dead on the side of the road. Abi passed away from a brain hemorrhage on September 3.
Abi’s parents later obtained a video of their son’s brutal beating, which they used as evidence to prove that their son was murdered. They filed a police report on September 7.
The police have now arrested five suspects for Abi’s murder, one of them being FKF.
“The idea came from (FKF), about the reward,” said Grand Commissioner Nico Afinta, director of the Central Jakarta Police Crime Investigations Unit, as quoted by Tempo yesterday.
The police have obtained evidence that the vape shop called for Abi’s manhunt on Instagram, though there is so far no indication that the shop suggested any violent action against Abi on social media.
Nevertheless, the suspects may be charged with premeditated murder and/or torture, which carries a minimum five years prison sentence. The police say they are still on the hunt for two more suspects.
