Inp.polri.go.id - Manokwari. The Manokwari Sub-regional Police in West Papua, have named Yahya Himawan as the suspect in the premeditated murder of the wife of a local tax office employee, a case that could see him face the death penalty or life imprisonment.

“The suspect had planned the robbery since Sunday and carried it out on Monday at 10 am local time,” said Manokwari Police Chief Senior Superintendent Ongky Isgunawan during a press conference on Wednesday (12/11/2025), as cited by antaranews.com.

Investigators said Yahya, who had spent his Rp3.3 million wage on online gambling, targeted the victim’s home, which is only 300 meters from his renovation worksite,  using the pretext of checking kitchen tiles he had previously installed. 

When the victim resisted, he stabbed her three times, cleaned the scene, placed the body in a plastic box, and hid it inside a septic tank.

Police said Yahya later used the victim’s Instagram account to demand a Rp10 million ransom from her husband.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)