Indonesian crime journalist busted for murder, then reporting on it

Jakarta — To horrified witnesses in Pekanbaru last Monday (Oct 27), Edison Purba blended right in with all the other reporters thronging the crime scene.

He was quick to arrive at the site of the fatal robbery on Jalan Sudirman, took notes and photos, then dashed off to write the story.

Within two hours of the murder, Edison’s article was published on the website Pekanbaruexpress.com with the headline, “Sadistic, Victim Dies Covered in Blood,” along with a photo he took of the victim’s blood-soaked body.

To the police, though, Edison was more than just a crime reporter covering a grisly murder scene — he was one of the four men allegedly responsible for the killing.

Purba was arrested at his house in Kampar district the day after he and three accomplices allegedly killed Pekanbaru resident Mulyono and robbed him of 300 million rupiahs (S$31,854) in cash, Pekanbaru Police Chief Sr Comr Robert Haryanto Watratan said on Monday.

Two of the others, Amin Fauzi and Monang Simanjuntak, were arrested at their homes two days after the crime, police said, while the fourth suspect, Yusuf Palembang, is still at large.

“They called this robbery a project,” Robert said as quoted by Merdeka.com. “They targeted the victim because every Monday he took a large amount of money to Bank Permata, without any guards, riding his motorcycle. He kept the money in his jacket.”

Purba, quoted by local media, said the four had been trying to rob Mulyono since July, but had been thwarted because the victim had always driven at high speed.

On Oct 27, they got lucky.

“When the victim stopped, Amin kicked him until he fell and his face hit the pavement,” Snr Comr Haryanto said. The perpetrators then slashed Mulyono’s throat.

“[Yusuf Palembang] forced open his jacket and grabbed the bag containing 300 million rupiahs, then ran to Jalan Pinang,” Snr Comr Haryanto said.

Five minutes later, Purba, who had also fled the scene, got off his motorcycle and walked the 500m back to report the story, police said.

Purba, Fauzi and Simanjuntak have been charged with violent robbery resulting in death. The crime carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. THE JAKARTA GLOBE