The Case Of The Murder Of The Acting Head Of The General East Nusa Tenggara Regional Secretariat, Erikh Mella, To His Wife 9 Years Ago, The Kapolda Forms Of The Joint Team

Head of Public Relations of the NTT Police, Kombes Ariasandy. ANTARA

KUPANG - NTT Police Chief Inspector General Setyo Budiyanto formed a joint team to re-investigate the alleged murder case committed by Erikh Benydijta Mella, the acting Head of the General Bureau of the NTT Secretariat against his wife in 2013. The Head of Public Relations of the NTT Police, Kombes Ariasandy, said the joint team formed involved investigators from the Kupang City Police and also from the General Directorate of the NTT Police. "The Kapolda is committed to paying special attention to the handling of the case so that the Kapolda forms a joint team," he told reporters in Kupang, Antara, Friday, September 2. It is known that Erikh Mella in 2013 abused his wife, Linda Brand, which resulted in the death of the victim. The Kupang City Police investigator team (at that time his status was still Polres, ed) only named Erikh Mella as a suspect in 2019. However, for several years after being named a suspect, the case seemed lost and there was no follow-up. This case re-emerged after on Tuesday, August 30 in the El Tari Kupang Hall, Erikh Mella was inaugurated as acting Head of the General Bureau of the NTT Secretariat, which was attended by acting Mayor of Kupang along with a number of general Bureau staff. According to Ariasandy, with the disclosure of the case, it proves that there are still cases handled by the Kupang City Police that have not been resolved, which should have become the attention of the Polresta and Polda NTT. Ariasandy also added that from the results of the case title or the exposure of cases that had been carried out last Wednesday after information about the suspect in the murder case being sworn in as an NTT official, it was known that the initial handling was less than optimal, resulting in a hanging settlement. "There has been a determination of the suspect and sending the case file to the prosecutor's office but it's still going back and forth," he added. He also added that technically and tactically, the Kapolda had given clear and firm directions, especially to Kupang City Police investigators, prioritizing the handling of cases using Criminal Scientific Investigation in that case. The NTT Police Chief also said that he had emphasized that a legal process, especially the handling of cases, must pay attention to aspects of justice and legal certainty. "In the case of handling the investigation case, investigators are required to be more professional and transparent by taking into account aspects of justice and legal certainty," he quoted the NTT Police Chief as saying.