In a recent incident on Braga Street, three teenagers have been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a female tourist from Singapore.
The arrests were made after the tourist shared her experience on social media, claiming she was stalked and inappropriately touched during the encounter.
The Bandung Metropolitan Police Chief, Budi Sartono, confirmed the arrests of the suspects identified by their initials RF, RM, and MCA. The teenagers were apprehended in the Cimaung area on Friday following the report of the incident, which reportedly took place on December 29 when the suspects were on their way to a football match.
According to police reports, RF admitted to making inappropriate gestures and touching the victim, while the other two suspects denied their involvement. “Based on their statements, the suspects admitted to having an encounter with the victim,” Sartono stated.
Initial attempts to contact the Singaporean tourist through the Singaporean Embassy in Jakarta were unsuccessful. However, investigators later managed to reach her via email.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, expressed her trust in the Bandung Police to handle the case effectively.
UPDATE
In a surprising turn of events, the police announced on January 5 that the investigation into the harassment case has been closed after the victim accepted an apology from the teenagers. Sartono noted that the victim decided not to pursue legal action, believing that the apology would serve as a lesson for the young culprits, two of whom are minors under the age of 17.
Bandung Police Chief Commissioner Budi Sartono stated that the case has been closed because the victim requested to halt the legal proceedings after receiving an apology from the offenders.
“This is our latest information this afternoon in relation to the Singapore Embassy, in relation to the Singapore police attaché in Indonesia, it turns out that from there we have also been in direct contact with the victim,” Budi told reporters, On Sunday (Jan 5).
“The victim has confirmed that they will not continue this case because they saw that the alleged perpetrator had apologized publicly via social media and also felt that this was a lesson because he was still a minor,” he said according to CNN.
He added : “The victim has forgiven and will not continue so we will only provide guidance to the three alleged perpetrators because they are still minors”.
The incident gained further attention after the couple, who were filming their experiences in Bandung for their YouTube channel, shared their perspective. In a video with about more than 3,200 subscribers, the man, known as Mr. Darien, discussed his love for the city.
However, upon reviewing the footage, he and his partner, Ms. Joanna, both 26, realized they had been harassed, particularly noting that the teenagers were egging each other on during the encounter.
In the video, the teenagers can be seen trailing the couple, attempting to get into the camera frame while mimicking Ms. Joanna. One of them reportedly brushed past her while extending his arm, prompting the couple to initially believe it was all in good fun.
“I thought they were following us because they wanted to be a part of the video and they wanted to have fun, which is very common for us,” said Mr Darien in the YouTube video.
Image via JG
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