Indonesian exchange student allegedly raped in Netherlands
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ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - An Indonesian exchange student at Erasmus University was reportedly raped by an unidentified man near her residence on Herman Bavinckstraat in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Saturday (July 21).
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry's citizen protection director, Mr Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, confirmed the incident and said a citizen protection team from the Indonesian Embassy in Den Haag had helped the victim.
"The Indonesian embassy would assist (the student) and closely coordinate with local authorities," Mr Iqbal said on Monday, adding that the embassy would not reveal the victim's identity to protect her privacy.
A local news report said the Rotterdam Police were investigating the case.
A police report said the victim was riding a bicycle from Rotterdam Station to her residence on Herman Bavinckstraat at around 5.30am on Saturday and, shortly after she locked her bike, she was allegedly attacked by the assailant.
The alleged rape took place near the victim's residence.
The Rotterdam Police have so far examined about 20 witnesses and identified the route taken by the Indonesian student.
Furthermore, images from CCTVs were obtained to identify the alleged offender, who the police suspect is a dark-skinned man who was wearing a hoodie jacket and riding a black bicycle.
