Cases of horrific mob violence are not that rare in Indonesia, and stories of alleged thieves being beaten to death and even burned alive have made many headlines in the past (though rarely have they led to arrests or serious punishments for the vigilantes).
But a recent case of an alleged motorcycle thief who was set on fire by a mob in Probolinggo, East Java, has proven particularly disturbing due to accusations that the head of the village in which it took place allowed and even encouraged the brutal murder.
The head of Tlogosari Village, a man named Saton, finally came to the Probolinggo Police Station on Saturday night at around midnight, accompanied by his relatives, after police had been trying to summon him for five days.
Saton was summoned in relation to the death of a 40-year-old man named Samhadi, who was brutally beaten and then set on fire in Tlogosari Village on July 9. Police arrested seven people in connection with Samhadi’s death and during the course of their investigation several people said that Saton had explicitly allowed it to take place and even took part to a degree.
“So, based on the information we got from our investigation, the Tiogosari Village Chief was among the citizens (involved in Samhadi’s death). He even armed himself with an air rifle, in anticipation of the perpetrator running away,” said Probolinggo Police Chief Fadly Samad on Friday as quoted by Detik.
Police said that one suspect, identified by his initial A, admitted to killing Samhadi along with several others after he was caught trying to steal a motorcycle. A said that the village head gave them his permission, with Saton even saying that he would take responsibility for everything that happened.
After turning himself in, Saton was immediately interrogated by investigators. Police said he had been named a suspect in the case but have not yet announced further steps against the village head while the investigation is still ongoing.
While cases of mob justice often go unpunished in Indonesia, things seems to be getting better in recent years. One example relevant to this case involved a young couple in Depok that were accused by self-proclaimed moral vigilantes of having premarital sex (they weren’t, not that it matters) on November 11. The two were then beaten, stripped naked and paraded through their neighborhood, video of which went viral online. The couple’s neighborhood chief (RT) was among the perpetrators of the awful crime and he eventually received a 5-year sentence for his actions.
Reader Interactions