Saudi Police Arrest 2 Indonesians over Case of Dead Woman in a Suitcase

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Saudi Arabian police have arrested two Indonesian nationals in the holy city of Mecca in connection with the discovery of their compatriot’s remains inside a suitcase on Sunday, November 29.

Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah confirmed the arrest. “The Saudi Arabian police suspected the men of complicity in the death of the woman, who was identified as 24-year-old A, and the placing of her remains in the suitcase.” 

“The Indonesian Consulate-General in Mecca will provide them with legal aid, including translation services, in their case. They will also contact the victim’s family and handle her remains before repatriating it back to them,” Teuku said on November 30.

Also read: Saudi Arabia Temporarily Suspends Umrah Visas on Indonesian Pigrims due to Covid-19 Cases

However, the Consulate-General reported that preliminary examinations of A’s remains raised more questions than answers.

“[The coroner’s] initial checks of her remains showed no signs of violence towards the victim, though she was stuffed in the suitcase,” the Consulate-General noted on December 1, soon after the District Attorney’s office in Mecca received the dossiers for her case.

Also read: Saudi Arabia to Resume Umrah Pilgrimage from October

“They would also carry out an autopsy of A’s body to determine the cause of death.” Consular officials also contacted police in Mecca’s Mina district, the locale where A’s remains were found.

Gulf News reported that locals in Mina tipped off the police about A’s remains after they opened the large suitcase last Friday, November 27. Their suspicions were heightened after her workplace reported her absent from work.

(Writer: Deti Mega Purnamasari | Editors: Dani Prabowo, Diamanty Meiliana)

Sources: 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/11/30/19333871/kemlu-sebut-dua-wni-ditangkap-terkait-temuan-jasad-wanita-dalam-koper-di. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/12/01/11521001/hasil-visum-jasad-wanita-wni-dalam-koper-di-arab-saudi-tak-ada-tanda.