A suspect has been arrested in the mysterious death of an elderly Japanese couple earlier this month in Bali neighbourhood Jimbaran.
I Puta A, 25-years-old, was arrested in the early hours of Monday, Sept. 18, according to local media.
Denpasar Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said investigations will continue, according to Tribun Bali.
Matsuba Nurio, 76-years-old, and wife Matsuba Hiroko, 73-years-old, were found stabbed and burned in their Jimbaran home Sept. 4.
Police were initially reticent to classify the case murder, but now believe the motive was cash.
The suspect told police he had been walking around the couple’s home the morning of Sept. 4 before seeing the home’s open gate. He said he entered the grounds, picked up a knife from the shoe rack and walked up to the second floor where he saw Matsuba Hiroko carrying a bag of money.
“The perpetrator directly smothered the victim, tied her and stabbed her in the neck and stomach. After that the perpetrator saw the victim’s husband, come up the stairs to the second floor. The perpetrator immediately smothered him and stabbed him in the back and slit his throat,” Widjaja said, as reported by Bali Post.
He reportedly returned at midday and set the blaze which eventually notified a family friend to the attack.