Facts About the Death of a Young Man from Aceh After Being Kidnapped by Paspampres Personnel

Dream - A young man from Aceh, Imam Masykur, was found dead in the Karawang River after being reportedly kidnapped and assaulted by Paspampres personnel.

Danpomdam Jaya, Colonel Cpm Irsyad Hamdie Bey Anwar, said that they have identified three military personnel as suspects. "The three suspects have been apprehended. They are all from the military," said Irsyad, quoted from Merdeka.com, Monday, August 28, 2029.

“All three of them are from the military, only one is from Paspampres,” he added.

The following are facts about the young man from Aceh who was allegedly kidnapped and assaulted by Paspampres personnel until his death.

Motives for Kidnapping

According to Pomdam Jaya, the motive for the involvement of military personnel in the alleged kidnapping and torture of Imam Masykur was purely economic.

"(The motive) was ransom money, because the suspects and the victim did not know each other," said Irsyad Hamdie Bey Anwar.

One of Imam's relatives, Said Sulaiman, said that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 50 million rupiah from the victim's family. They threatened to torture him, which ultimately led to Imam's death.

"My mother called and the person who answered was the perpetrator, 'If you love your child, send 50 million rupiah, otherwise I will kill your child and throw him into the river,' that's what he said. My mother panicked and begged him not to do it," Said added, quoting Imam's parents from Liputan6.com.

Chronology

According to Said, the kidnapping incident occurred on Saturday, August 12, 2023. The news of the kidnapping was conveyed to Imam's family through his friends.

"I only found out about it after the incident, when someone came to my place. They said that Imam Masykur had been beaten and taken away in a car. That's all I knew," Said said when contacted on Sunday, August 27, 2023.

After trying to call, Imam finally contacted him around 8:00 PM. While crying, Imam asked Said to find a ransom of 50 million rupiah as demanded by the kidnappers.

"In the video, he asked me to find the money, and I said I would call our friends first. After that, he said he couldn't take it anymore and wanted to die. That's all. Then there was a conversation between him and the perpetrator asking for the money, but he didn't send it to me," Said said.

Video Spread on Social Media

Shortly after that, Said received news from Imam's family in Aceh. They mentioned that the perpetrators were torturing Imam, beating him with a blunt object on his back while inside a car.

Said added that this cruel act was consistent with the video that went viral on social media. In the video, Imam, who was helpless, could be heard screaming for help while his back was bruised and covered in blood.

"His younger sibling and parents were contacted by the perpetrators and they sent them a video of the torture. Yes, the viral video on social media was sent to his sibling to make them panic. His mother also mentioned the ransom," he said.

Victim's Body Thrown into the River

According to Said, Imam's mother in Aceh was also asked to send a ransom of 50 million rupiah. If not, her son would be killed and thrown into the river.

Because there was no ransom money, Said added, the kidnappers actually killed Imam. Several days later, the body of a man was found in the Karawang river, which turned out to be Imam.

"His body was swollen because the perpetrators had thrown him into the river. He had been in the river for about three days or so, and his body was already swollen when he was found by residents of Karawang," Said said.

Said received news of the discovery of the body when he was called by the police to come to RSPAD to confirm the discovery of the unidentified male body with multiple bruises.

"The police immediately went there and asked us, the family, to come and see the body. When I saw it, it was indeed him, his face was swollen," he said.

Victim Worked as a Cosmetic Seller

Subsequently, Said was asked to make a report with the number LP/B/4776/VIII/2023/SPKT/POLDA METRO JAYA, dated August 14, 2023, regarding the alleged criminal act of kidnapping under Law Number 1 of 1946 concerning the Criminal Code as referred to in Articles 328, 333, and/or 351 of the Criminal Code.

Some time later, Said was contacted by Pomdam Jaya/Jayakarta regarding the arrest of the alleged perpetrators. The perpetrators were identified as Praka RM, a member of Ta Walis 3/3/11 Ki C Walis Yonwalprotneg, Paspampres, along with two others.

Said admitted that the family was deeply saddened by the murder that befell Imam. Imam's intention to seek a living by selling cosmetics tragically ended in his abduction.

"Yes, he was just trying to earn a living by selling cosmetics. He had no problems with anyone, no debts or anything, and then suddenly he was kidnapped," he said.

Response from Danpaspampres

The Commander of the Presidential Security Force (Danpaspampres), Major General Rafael Granada Baay, explained that Pomdam Jaya is currently conducting an investigation into the incident.

"Regarding the above-mentioned assault, the authorities, namely Pomdam Jaya, are currently investigating the alleged involvement of Paspampres personnel in the criminal act of assault," Rafael explained to reporters on Sunday, August 27, 2023.

He stated that the Paspampres personnel suspected of assault are currently being held at Pomdam Jaya and will be questioned for the purpose of the investigation.

"The suspects are currently being held at Pomdam Jaya for questioning and investigative purposes," he said.

Rafael ensures that the Paspampres personnel will be legally processed if proven guilty of committing criminal acts of assault against the residents of Bireun. Rafael also hopes that the issue can be resolved quickly.

"If it is indeed proven that a Paspampres member has committed a criminal act as alleged above, they will definitely be legally processed according to applicable laws," said Rafael.

"We ask for your prayers that this issue can be resolved soon," he added.