The Story Of The Mother Of A Prisoner Who Was Burnt To Death, Upik: You Can't Visit Yet, So It's Just A Video Call

Parents of prisoners who died in Tangerang Class I Prison/ Rizky Sulistio/ VOI

JAKARTA - Upik Hartati did not expect her baby to be one of the victims of the deadly fire at the Class 1 Tangerang Prison, Wednesday, September 8, yesterday.

In fact, Upik said, he had made a video call with his son a few hours before the fire occurred. The family hopes that the victim's body can be quickly identified.

"The night before the incident I had a video call, just asking how you were. Video call in prison, my son Rizkil Hairi. It's been 2 years (detention), can't he visit yet. He doesn't say anything, (only) he usually asks for money ," he told reporters at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital, East Jakarta, Thursday, September 9.

Upik did not expect his baby to be one of the victims who died in Tangerang Class 1 Prison.

"I saw the news, I immediately went to the prison and the data was there. The officer said his son was in 41 victims, my son was in Block C," explained Upik, a resident of Pasar Minggu.

It was later discovered that Rizkil was an inmate in a narcotics case. He is the eldest of 5 children. Rizkil is scheduled to be released in the next 18 months.

"My son was sentenced to 5 years. It has been almost 2 years (sentence), the remaining sentence is only 1.5 years. We want the child to be safe, didn't know it was like this," he recalled.

The family hopes that the victim's body will be identified and buried quickly. Upik has also handed over his son's driver's license and diploma to the ante mortem post.

"He is the first child, there are 4 younger siblings. I want to be processed immediately, so that my child can calm down. Many families have come," he said.

As of Thursday afternoon, the ante mortem post at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital was increasingly overcrowded with families of inmates who were victims of a fire at the Class 1 prison in Tangerang.

The families who came have submitted complete data on the victims and their families which will later be matched in the autopsy process.

However, police officers still maintain social distancing to prevent crowds at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital.