South Korean Tourist Suspected of Gili Trawangan Rape Arrested at Ngurah Rai Airport

Head of the North Lombok Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Iptu I Komang Wilandra. (ANTARA/Dhimas B.P.)

North Lombok Police, West Nusa Tenggara, said that the South Korean tourist with the initials WK (22) who was a suspect in the alleged rape case in Gili Trawangan was caught while at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali.

Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the North Lombok Police, Iptu I Komang Wilandra, said the arrest by the airport authorities was a follow-up to the blocking of a police report from the victim, who is also a South Korean citizen.

"So, the arrest at Ngurah Rai Airport was the result of coordination between the team and the immigration who issued a letter of detention against the suspect," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, April 28.

Following the arrest at Ngurah Rai Airport, Tuesday (21/4), the North Lombok Police Criminal Investigation Team picked up WK on Wednesday (22/4) who was arrested at the Kuta Police, Bali.

"Now we have detained the person in question at the North Lombok Police Detention Center to undergo further legal proceedings," he said.

For the suspect, investigators applied the presumption of Article 6 letter b of Law Number 12 of 2022 concerning Sexual Violence Crimes and/or Article 473 paragraph (1) and paragraph (3) letter a of Law No. 1 of 2023.

The rape incident occurred on Saturday (11/4), when the suspect met the victim at one of the lodging locations in Gili Trawangan, North Lombok Regency.

Because both tourists are from South Korea and stay at the same hotel, the suspect got acquainted with the victim. At that moment, the two went on vacation in Gili Trawangan.

The rape incident also occurred when the victim returned to the bedroom that night. The suspect forced the victim to have sex like a married couple.

After the incident, the victim, who felt harmed by the suspect's actions, first complained to the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and continued by making a report to the North Lombok Police.

"So, the investigation we are conducting is based on the victim's report. When the report came in, it was known that the suspect had left Gili Trawangan, on that basis we applied for a ban," he said.