Police Say Indonesian Maid in HK Possibly Murdered by Boyfriend
Malang, East Java. An Indonesian maid found dead on a Hong Kong sidewalk may have been murdered by her Pakistani boyfriend, authorities in both Indonesia and Hong Kong said.
The lifeless body of Wiji Astutik Supardi, 37, was found inside a folded mattress on a pavement in the Mong Kok area of Hong Kong on Monday morning, the South China Morning Post reported.
"No fatal wound was found in the initial forensic examination, but there were bruises on her arms and legs," the paper quoted the local acting Chief Inspector Lo Chung-wong as saying on Tuesday. "The cause of death has not been established. An autopsy and toxicological examinations will be carried out."
Police's initial examination indicated that Wiji had been dead for a day, adding that none of her belongings, including a ring and a bracelet, had been taken.
Wiji, the newspaper continued, was in a relationship with a Pakistani man named Wahaj Fyaz, who is in his 30s, and the pair had been living together for a year at an illegal rooftop apartment. The man was arrested in February on suspicion of assaulting Wiji but she later dropped the case.
Indonesian officials said that Wiji hailed from the village of Wonokerto, in East Java's Malang district, and had been working in Hong Kong for nine years.
According to Wiji's brother Sulistyo, the family only learned of Wiji's death on Wednesday. Wiji is survived by her 10-year-old daughter Rahayu Putri, whom had been in the care of her husband since the child was 7 months old. But Wiji's husband died from a motorcycle accident last year and Rahayu has since been cared for by her grandparents.
Rahayu said she often spoke with her estranged mother via Facebook. Wiji candidly expressed to her daughter that she was seeing the Pakistani man and according to Rahayu, Wiji often told her about the abuse she suffered.
“My mom once reported [him] to the police. She was cut in the cheek with a knife,” the girl said. “I don't know why my mother didn't press charges.”
Wiji's family is still finding ways to have her body repatriated to Indonesia after local officials refused to bear the cost. The Malang office of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) said Wiji had been staying illegally in Hong Kong since 2008.
Officials said Wiji had fled her Hong Kong employer's residence that year and filed for asylum. She had been living in Hong Kong without a valid passport or working visa since. She was however granted a temporary identity card by local authorities.
According to several Hong Kong newspapers, Wiji's boyfriend Fyaz has also been seeking for asylum.
Wiji's father Supardi, 75, said he didn't know why Wiji chose to apply for asylum and not return home. Her father said Wiji rarely called home and communication with her was limited to a few Facebook messages between her and her daughter Rahayu.
Even when her former husband and her mother died last year, Wiji refused to come home.
“She said she couldn't afford the ticket,” Supardi said.
Police in Hong Kong are still attempting to locate Fyaz, whom according to police records, is wanted for a string of offenses, which also include theft and possession of drugs.
Tags: Keywords: