3 Suspects Of Palm Oil Boss Murder In Banyuasin Threatened With Death Penalty

Banyuasin Police Chief AKBP Imam Syafii/ANTARA HO

Three suspects in the murder of an oil palm plantation boss in Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra face the death penalty or life imprisonment for their sadistic acts.

Banyuasin Police Chief AKBP Imam Syafii said the maximum penalty threat was regulated in a layered article that was suspected by investigators to have been violated by the suspects.

The three suspects include Arif Widianto (30), Rais Ngabadus (37), and Muji Riyanto (31), residents of Rimau Island, Banyuasin.

The police charged the suspects with Article 340 of the Criminal Code regarding premeditated murder and Article 365 of the Criminal Code paragraph (4) concerning theft and violent robbery that resulted in the victim's death.

"The use of this article is based on the investigation process, witness examination and strengthened by the adequacy of evidence, including the results of the post-mortem of the victim's body and stolen property," he said.

Imam explained that based on the investigation, it was known that in this case the suspect Arif Widianto acted as the mastermind behind the perpetrator.

Arif invited his colleagues Rais and Muji to seize assets and property belonging to the oil palm plantation boss, named Karim (50), who is none other than his own uncle.

Where, the robbery was planned by the suspects on Sunday (21/5) afternoon.

At that time, the suspects came to the house of the victim Karim, in Hamlet II, Rimau Island, Banyuasin, who had lived alone after separating from his wife and pretended to want to stay to accompany the victim there.

"In the evening when the victim was fast asleep, the suspects entered his room, they blocked the victim's body with a rope, his mouth was covered with cloth and tortured and abused until he was unconscious with wounds and bruises all over his body," he said, accompanied by the Head of the Banyuasin Police Criminal Investigation Unit, AKP Hary Dinar.

Then, the police confirmed that the victim was confirmed dead after being taken to the nearest Puskesmas by an employee on Monday (22.5) around 10.30 WIB who found the door to the victim's house was open and had fallen apart.

The suspects took away the Kijang Inova BG-1653-JP minibus, millions of rupiah in cash belonging to the victim, which is currently confiscated as evidence to complete the case file.

"To investigators, the suspect admitted that he was determined to kill the victim because he was in debt. They have now been detained to undergo an investigation which will then be brought to trial immediately when the file is complete," he said.