Life is Healthy

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, April 19, 2010

A 9-year-old girl on Friday became the sixth victim in a spate of schoolgirl rapes that have shocked the resort island of Bali, as police detectives struggle with dead ends in an investigation suggesting a serial rapist is behind the vicious attacks.

Friday’s incident, however, differed from previous cases as the rapist attacked the schoolgirl at her own home on Jalan Pulau Moyo in Denpasar.

Each of the five schoolgirls attacked previously were abducted by a man while on their way home, after being tricked into believing he had been sent by their parents to pick them up.

“The parents of the child are in deep shock,” said Luh Putu Anggreni, from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission.

“They don’t want to report the case to police because their child is severely traumatized.

“The modus operandi was different,” she added. “Before, [the victims] were abducted on their way home from lessons or school. This time, the suspect actually entered the house, pretending to be a guest. The child is currently being treated in the hospital.”

Once again, the attack occurred in broad daylight, at about 12:30 p.m. The victim was alone in the house as both her parents were at work and the maid had gone home early because she was ill.

“[The victim] was all alone,” Anggreni said.

“We’re scheduled to meet with the Bali Police chief on Monday to demand swift action,” she added.

Denpasar Police Chief Gede Alit Widana expressed shock at this latest attack, and said that his officers were doing everything in their power to capture the perpetrator.

“We urge the parents of the girl to file an official report,” he said, adding that sketches of the suspect had been distributed in towns and port areas across the island.

The perpetrator is believed to have a scar on the right side of his nose. Police describe him as being between 25 and 35 years of age, 1.65 meters tall, riding a Yamaha Jupiter motorcycle and wearing a black jacket.

Friday’s attack occurred three days after another 9-year-old girl was abducted and raped on her way home from school. That attack also occurred in broad daylight.

The victim in Tuesday’s attack, a third-grader at Sumerta Elementary School, was found nearly unconscious on Jalan Merdeka in Denpasar. The girl said she had been walking home from school at around 1:30 p.m. when an unknown man on a red motorcycle approached her, saying her parents had sent him to pick her up.

“How is it possible that 1,800 police officers are unable to catch a single perpetrator?” Bali Police Chief Sutisna said during a visit to the school.

“If police see a man with a school-age child on a motorcycle, stop him. Ask if they’re related.”

Two officers have been deployed to patrol every elementary school in Denpasar during class hours.

The youngest of the six victims is a 7-year-old girl, police say.