Jakarta – Anybody concluding that the death of Arya Daru Pangayunan, a young diplomat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was by suicide is being too hasty or intentionally cutting corners. There are a number of facts behind the death that do not support each other: the strange cause of death, unusual injuries, missing evidence and unexplained gaps in the timeline.

All these facts give rise to a far more serious question: did Arya take his own life, or did somebody else make sure he was no longer breathing, then leave the stage as if this were purely suicide?

This question becomes more prominent if we look closely at Arya's final day. He began the day as usual, went to the office, and then in the evening was at the Grand Indonesia mall together with two colleagues. They went their separate ways at around 9pm. Not long after, Arya sent a text message, which is believed to have been to the wrong number, and then his cell phone went dead.

Security cameras recorded Arya waiting in line for a taxi, then returning to the office, going to the rooftop carrying a backpack and a shopping bag, and then coming down again without these items. After that, he was recorded at his boarding house, taking out the trash and then the door to his room was locked until the security officer found his body the following morning.

And this is where there are anomalies. Arya was found dead on his bed, and his head was tightly bound with yellow duct tape. There were no poisons, tranquillizers, or intoxicating substances in his body. This means that if he did kill himself, he did it while fully conscious. However, it is almost impossible for a person to wrap his whole head with layers of duct tape without using any equipment, without losing consciousness first and without leaving any significant traces of a physical struggle.

The autopsy results only added to the suspicious circumstances. There were bruises on his face, neck and hand, as well as an injury on his inner lip, all consistent with an impact or a physical altercation. There was a bruise on his left arm, which the police said was caused by scraping against something as he went up to the rooftop. But this only adds another question: What actually happened there?

The disappearance of his cell phone is the biggest mystery. It has records of his final communications, location, and other digital traces that could reveal any meetings or threats that he faced. The police say they were able to access Arya Daru's WhatsApp account through his laptop, but the contents of his chats have not been published. The same is true of important emails, of which only parts were saved.

All these gaps mean that the pseudo-suicide hypothesis – death made to look like suicide – cannot be discounted. This is more than just a conspiracy theory. It is based on logical basis in forensics, chronological data, and the missing evidence. If this is what happened, we now face more than just a personal tragedy but a serious crime that was carefully concealed to give a misleading first impression.

The police should know that the public will not be satisfied with instant conclusions based on partial evidence. Every unexplained injury, every minute missing from the chronology, and every piece of missing evidence are doors that must be opened, not locked shut.

Arya's death is a test of the integrity of law enforcement officers. Public trust in the law will be preserved only if the whole truth – no matter how complicated or unpleasant – is revealed.

– Read the complete story in Tempo English Magazine

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2039294/the-mysterious-death-of-a-young-diploma