Men Pose as Shariah Police In Alleged Rape

Banda Aceh, TAG - Following the shocking alleged rape of a student by the Shariah Police in Aceh, another young woman is said to have been forced to endure a horrific sexual attack, this time by two men posing as religious police officers.

Syarifuddin, Aceh’s deputy commander for religious police operations, said on Wednesday that the latest sexual assault occurred on Feb. 3 in Central Aceh district, when a 24-year-old student was raped by two men. 



Central Aceh Police Chief Edwin Rahmat Adikusumo said the student was sitting with her boyfriend by Laut Tawar Lake, when the men, claiming they were Shariah Police officers, approached them. 



“The men threatened to marry them,” Edwin said. “Because she was scared, she obeyed the men’s order to come with them and left her boyfriend at the lake.”

Edwin said the girl was then brought to a quiet place and was raped by the two men. 



“The police are now hunting the two men in West Aceh, hopefully we can arrest them within three days,” he said. 



Edwin said the men were not wearing Shariah Police uniforms when they abducted the girl, so he did not believe they were part of the force. 



“Teenagers who hang out by the lake are often mugged by local thugs,” he said.

Syukuruddin, head of the district’s religious police, said the suspects were not part of his unit, because his officers always wore their uniforms when on duty.

“The victim has seen all 38 members of the squad during a lineup, and did not identify any of them as the ones who raped her,” he said. 



He said the case was strange because the victim did not appear to be traumatized. 



Syarifuddin said the latest rape might be part of an attempt to discredit the Shariah Police. 



Several people might have claimed they were members of the force when committing crimes against violators of Islamic law, Syarifuddin said. 



“This is a new phenomenon in Aceh, since the case in Langsa,” he said. 

He was referring to the alleged gang rape of a 20-year-old university student by three Shariah Police officers last month after she was detained for allegedly engaging in an “immoral” act with her boyfriend. 



Syarifuddin said that people must have the courage to ask Shariah Police officers to present their credentials when they are stopped, because officers are required to wear uniforms and carry their ID cards when on duty. 



He also said that the Shariah Police should ensure that its officers act according to the rules of Islam while at the same time respecting Acehnese traditions.[]