By Shih Hsiu-chuan, Liu Chien-pang and Evelyn Kao
TAIPEI, Aug 13 (NNN-CNA) — Indonesian police announced Wednesday that they had arrested four suspects in connection with the murder of a Taiwanese baker, with five others still being pursued, reported Taiwan Central News Agency (CNA).
The arrest of the four alleged perpetrators began with a report from Taiwan’s Representative Office in Jakarta asking for help to find the 52-year-old victim surnamed Hsu (許), who went missing July 27, according to Indonesian police.
Indonesian police, in collaboration with Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) formed a task force to investigate the case and later discovered a corpse in West Java, the CIB said in a statement issued Wednesday.
The fingerprints of the corpse matched the fingerprints of the victim, the bureau said.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Nana Sudjana said the prime suspect is Hsu’s personal secretary, who had an affair with her boss and became pregnant.
Hsu, however, refused to accept responsibility for the pregnancy, but gave money to the woman to pay for an abortion, Nana said, citing the suspect’s account of events.
This is believed to a case of premeditated murder because the secretary plotted to kill her boss after she learned that the victim, who was living alone, intended to marry his maid, said Nana.
Among the nine suspects is a lawyer responsible for management of Hsu’s assets, Nana said.
After the news conference, Jakarta police spokesman Yusri Yunus told a CNA reporter that police found that several of the suspects had withdrawn money several times from Hsu’s bank accounts.
Hsu owned five bakeries in Indonesia, according to a Taiwanese businessman there.
His family arrived in Indonesia Aug 4 to deal with the issue, with the help of Taiwan’s representative office there, the CIB said.
The victim’s family told a CNA reporter Thursday that it is unacceptable for the police to deem the case as a homicide related to an extra-marital relationship between Hsu and his secretary, claiming that the police have misled the investigation by suggesting that Hsu led a debauched life.
According to Nana at Wednesday’s news conference, the main suspect claimed she was jealous of Hsu’s maid because the victim wanted to marry her and transfer the killer’s assets to his maid.