Handcuffed and burnt to death: Indonesian cop’s alleged killing of punter-husband sparks online gambling concerns
The policewoman allegedly doused her husband - a fellow police officer - with gasoline and set him on fire after finding out that he had been gambling away his salary bonus.
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JAKARTA: An Indonesian policewoman has been charged with killing her husband, a fellow police officer, by allegedly burning him to death because of his gambling addiction, in a case which has cast the spotlight on online gambling in Indonesia.
In the incident which happened in Mojokerto, East Java, on Saturday (Jun 8), the accused Fadhilatun Nikmah, 28, allegedly handcuffed her husband, Rian Dwi Wicaksono, 27, before dousing him with gasoline and setting him on fire.
Local media reported that the victim suffered serious burns all over his body and died the next day after undergoing treatment at the hospital.
According to the police, Fadhilatun had become upset after learning that her husband only had 800,000 rupiah (US$50) left in his bank account, just days after receiving his bonus of 2.8 million rupiah.
Fadhilatun had planned to use the money to buy supplies for their twins who were born three months ago. The couple also have a 2-year-old child.
Police investigations also revealed that Rian had spent the cash on online gambling. Rian was known to be addicted to online gambling and had previously squandered the family's money.
Fadhilatun has been charged with offences concerning domestic violence. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.
The incident has drawn national attention, sparking reactions from members of parliament, ministers and even the president.
President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi as he is popularly known, has called on the public to be wise with their savings and not to waste them away by gambling.
"I would like to say, do not gamble, do not gamble, both offline and online," he said on his official YouTube account on Wednesday (Jun 12).
“Many things can happen because of gambling - property gets sold off, husband and wife get divorced, crimes and violence too. Gambling risks your future and that of your family and children,” added Mr Jokowi.
In a meeting with members of parliament on Monday, Minister of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi said that the case was clear proof that online gambling has taken a growing toll and urged the government to get serious in combating it.
Mr Budi pointed out that the government is forming a special task force to tackle online gambling. Set to be established this week, it will be chaired by the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.
He noted that while Kominfo itself has prevented and taken down many online gambling apps, other parties must also take action since it involves financial institutions and cross-border online transactions.
"The internet is borderless, cross-country, the server is in another country's security apparatus … therefore, the eradication of online gambling is not the task of one ministry such as Kominfo," Mr Budi said.
The minister shared that more than 2 million online gambling sites have already been blocked, but new ones keep popping up.
About 3.2 million Indonesians are involved in online gambling, according to data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) that was released in April by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto.
“80 per cent of them play under the value of 100,000 rupiah," Mr Hadi said.
At the same time, data points to a significant increase in transactions related to online gambling. Online gambling transactions of Indonesian citizens have skyrocketed more than 8,000 per cent in value over the last five years.
It was 3.97 trillion rupiah in 2018. More recently, the figure hit 104.41 trillion rupiah in 2022, while last year’s tally was 327 trillion rupiah, according to PPATK data released in May.
For the first quarter of 2024 alone, transactions amounting to 100 trillion rupiah were recorded, said Mr Hadi as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
Government officials have suggested there are also links between online gambling and money laundering.
"It is not just online gambling, because there are several cases (of money laundering) where they got the (illicit) money from winning in gambling," said communications minister Budi.
TRAPPED IN HIGH-INTEREST LOANS
Many people in Indonesia have resorted to taking out loans online as they get sucked into online gambling, according to PPATK head Ivan Yustiavandana. He said there is an increased flow of funds related to online loans which were used for online gambling.
While not specifying the amount of money involved, Mr Ivan said the value was not small, as reported by local news outlet Tirto on Wednesday.
Online loans usually come with high interest rates, particularly those offered by illegal lending platforms. Many who take out such loans to bankroll their punting habit have found themselves mired in debt and distress, especially when compounded with the losses from gambling.
There have been 14 suicides and attempted suicides as a result of online gambling since 2023 in Indonesia, with the victims’ ages ranging between 19 and 30, according to the Center for Financial and Digital Literacy as reported by Media Indonesia.
In April, a member of the Indonesian Navy took his own life by shooting himself in the head at his duty station in Yahukimo, Papua. The Indonesian National Army said in an official statement that the officer was in depression due to debts of up to 819 million rupiah incurred from online gambling.
Earlier this month, another member of the military in Bogor, West Java killed himself, also allegedly due to online gambling.
One online gambler who did not want to be named told CNA how he became depressed and had to sell his only motorcycle to satisfy his gambling habit.
The 40-year-old office worker became hooked in 2022 and ended up borrowing up to 50 million rupiah to feed his addiction.
He told CNA that while he has not been able to cut out online gambling entirely, he has been trying to curb the habit.
"Gamblers are addicted if they win and eager to win if they lose, so they keep playing."
Nowadays, he only gambles whenever he has money and has stopped borrowing from online lenders. He hopes to be able to quit gambling completely one day.
"A gambler’s true victory is when he can stop gambling entirely," he added.
