A Dutch citizen with the initials RP (49) was found dead in front of the villa where he was staying in Kerobokan, North Kuta, Bali.
The victim is believed to have been murdered by two unidentified men, as the police are currently investigating the motive behind the suspected murder.
According to reports from Dutch media, the victim was previously convicted in a drug-related case, leading to speculation that the incident may have been a retaliatory attack within criminal circles. However, Indonesian police have not confirmed this and stated that the motive remains under investigation.
The incident occurred on Monday, the 23rd of March, between approximately 10 PM and 10.50 PM Central Indonesian Time. At the time of the incident, the victim and his girlfriend, PI (30), had just returned home after walking around the villa area.
North Kuta Police Chief, Commissioner I Ketut Agus Pasek Sudina, said the incident began when the victim and PI encountered two men riding a motorcycle.
“They [RP and PI] encountered the perpetrators on a black motorcycle. Upon seeing the suspicious behaviour, the victim [RP] told his girlfriend [PI] to lock the villa door, but the perpetrators immediately attacked with a knife,” Sudina said on the following Tuesday (the 24th of March).
The two perpetrators then turned around and confronted the victim. One of the perpetrators was reportedly wearing an online motorcycle taxi (ojek online or ojol) jacket, a black helmet, and a blue mask. The other perpetrator, meanwhile, was reportedly wearing an orange shirt and no helmet. As PI attempted to flee, the perpetrators immediately attacked RP indiscriminately with a knife. PI was also chased by one of the perpetrators, though she later managed to hide in a dark area in front of another villa.
“The victim’s girlfriend [PI] hid in a dark area in front of villa number four because she had been targeted by the perpetrator wearing the ojol jacket. After feeling safe and seeing the perpetrators fleeing towards the main road, [PI] dared to come out,” continued Sudina.
According to another report from the Head of Public Relations for the Badung Police, Aiptu Ni Nyoman Ayu Inastuti, PI saw the perpetrators stab RP again with a knife and then flee. She approached her boyfriend, who was already covered in blood. She then contacted the villa owner, NMA (39), to call an ambulance.
Meanwhile, a resident with the initials KPTAP (34) reported hearing screams while praying. When he looked towards the scene, two people were seen fleeing on a black Vario motorcycle.
RP suffered injuries to his neck, face, arms, shoulders, and back. He was then taken to BIMC Hospital, but despite receiving CPR from the doctor, RP was pronounced dead at around 11.30 PM Central Indonesian Time due to blood loss.
“None of the victim’s belongings were missing. There were no CCTV cameras at the scene, but there was a CCTV camera belonging to a local resident in front of the alley. The perpetrators are still under investigation, and the motive for this case is still being investigated [as well],” Inastuti divulged the result of the crime scene investigation thus far.