A burning house in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, took the lives of six family members on Sunday night. Police say the blaze was set on purpose by an enforcer from a drug cartel acting on the orders of their imprisoned leader, Daeng Ampuh.
“The suspect, Andi Muhammad Ilham, communicated with Daeng Ampuh about how to collect their money from Fahri (one of the fire’s victims),” said Makassar Police Chief Irwan Anwar this morning as quoted by Detik.
Police arrested Andi and four other suspects believed to have been involved in setting the fatal blaze. Based on their investigations and interrogations of the suspects, Fahri owed Daeng — who is currently incarcerated in Makassar Class I Prison — millions of rupiah for several packages of methamphetamine.
According to the police version of event, Daeng ordered Andi to collect the debt from Fahri. Fahri promised to pay and asked Andi to come pick up the cash at his house.
However, Andi heard that Fahri was planning to run away to the city of Kendari instead. Hearing that, Daeng ordered Andi to kill Fahri.
Fahri lived in his grandfather’s house along with five other family members, ranging in age from 6 years old to 75 years old. All of them, including Fahri, died in the fire.
Prison officers searched Daeng’s cell and confirmed that the convicted drug dealer had four cell phones in his cell. It is depressingly common to hear stories about drug dealers in Indonesian prisons that are able to keep running their illicit businesses from inside their cells and is one reason why many Indonesians support the death penalty for drug dealers.
With the investigation still ongoing (and one suspected arsonist still on the loose), the police have not yet announced all of the charges that the suspects will face, but Makassar Mayor Moh Ramdhan ‘Danny’ Pomanto said he was shocked by the brutal crime and would make sure that Daeng and all the other suspects received the harshest punishments possible.
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