Indonesian police reject claims of political cover-up after suspect in 2016 murder case arrested
- Police took Pegi Setiawan into custody and insisted he was the last fugitive linked to the deaths of teenagers Vina Dewi Arsita and her boyfriend Eky
- Claims of Pegi being ‘sacrificed’ to protect government officials related to the case, and omission of two suspects from the charge sheet have been denied by police
Indonesian police have rejected accusations of a political cover-up over the murder of a couple following the arrest of the suspected mastermind who was on the run for eight years.
The August 2016 deaths of Vina Dewi Arsita and her boyfriend Eky sparked renewed intrigue after Vina: Sebelum 7 Hari (Vina: Before 7 Days), a film based on the incident, was released on May 8.
Two weeks after the horror film hit the screens, police took Pegi Setiawan into custody in West Java’s Bandung and insisted he was the last fugitive linked to the case initially classified as a traffic accident.
Further investigations revealed teenagers Vina and Eky were murdered by a gang of 11 members who also raped her before dumping the bodies on a road in the West Java town of Cirebon.
Eight men were convicted of attempted murder, with seven serving life sentences.
Pegi denied wrongdoing, saying he was “sacrificed” to protect the image of several government officials whose relatives were involved in the case.