Police investigating alleged rape of 15-year-old student by 8 drunk men in East Java

Photo for illustration purpose only.
Photo for illustration purpose only.

Police in Jember regency, East Java are investigating a case involving a 15-year-old high school student, who was allegedly raped by eight drunk men last week. 

The incident reportedly took place in the middle of a rubber plantation in Tanggul district, where the men were drinking alcohol, on Wednesday evening. The victim was passing by them while riding on the backseat of a motorcycle driven by her friend. 

“The woman who drove the victim knew one of the suspects. Then the victim and her female friend were called by [that suspect]. At that moment, the victim was also drunk, but she had a drink in another place,” Tanggul sub-precinct chief Sugeng Piyanto said in a press conference today.

The victim was then invited to join the eight drunk men while her friend waited from afar.

“That’s when the rape happened, the victim was raped in turns. The victim couldn’t fight back because she was drunk,” Sugeng said.

Two of the eight suspects later brought the victim somewhere else, only to rape her again. She told her parents what had happened when she went home, and proceeded to file a report at Tanggul sub-precinct.

Police have so far apprehended five suspects, while three others are still on the run and declared as fugitives. All of the suspects are above 18 years of age.

The eight men could potentially be charged with rape under Indonesia’s Child Protection Law, which could see them imprisoned for up to 15 years.

In 2016, after the brutal gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Bengkulu, President Joko Widodo signed a Perppu (Presidential Regulation In Lieu of Law) introducing the death penalty and chemical castration for convicted child molesters. Activists say that the threat of severe punishment has not been as successful a deterrent as the government hoped, as sexual assault against children continue to be a serious problem in Indonesia.



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on