Jakarta toilet murder: One intruder arrested, another dead after confrontation with police

Police officers standing guard inside a house where six people died after they were crammed with five others into a tiny bathroom, in Jakarta on Dec 27, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS
Dodi with his three children, Diona Arika Andra Putri, Dianita Gemma Dzalfayla and Zanette Kalila Azaria (in white). Two of the girls died in the maid's toilet in their Jakarta home. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/@DTR175

JAKARTA - Indonesian police said on Wednesday (Dec 28) they had identified two intruders believed to be responsible for the murder of six people in a posh house in East Jakarta.

"Two have been arrested. One of them resisted and died later due to a loss of blood,"Police Chief General Tito Karnavian told a media briefing.

Gen Tito said the suspects were Ramlan Butar Butar and Erwin Situmorang. The former suspect died after a confrontation with the police.

Police are working to trace another two intruders, Inspector General Mochamad Iriawan said.

"Investigators managed to retrieve recording files from the house' video surveillance system and studied them, and also interrogated witnesses," said the inspector general, explaining what had helped police trace the perpetrators.

Several valuables were taken from rooms in the house, he added.

The arrests came one day after reports on Tuesday that intruders killed six people and injured five others by locking them up overnight in a 2m-by-1m maid's toilet in East Jakarta.

One of the victims, who may have suffocated to death, was the owner of the house, identified by police as 59-year-old Mr Dodi Triyono. He was a property entrepreneur who had a few major prominent projects in Jakarta.

The others who died were two girls believed to be his daughters - 16-year-old Diona Arika Andra Puti and nine-year-old Dianita Gemma Dzalfayla - the girls' friend, identified as Amel; and the family's two drivers, Yanto and Tasrok, reported Detik.com.

In an interview with TVOne, Amel's mother Rosy Herawati confirmed that her daughter was one of the victims. Madam Rosy said her last contact with her daughter was at 2pm on Monday.

The five surviving victims included another of Mr Dodi's daughters, Zanette Kalila Azaria, 13, and the family maid Santi.

Witnesses said the intruders arrived at Mr Dodi's house on Monday afternoon, and the victims were rescued only at about 8am on Tuesday, after a visiting family friend noticed the main door to the house had been left open and heard moaning and cries for help.

wahyudis@sph.com.sg

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