Jakarta. A soldier who became the subject of a manhunt for allegedly plotting a daylight gun attack on his own wife was found dead at his parents’ home in Central Java on Thursday.
Lance Corporal Muslimin died shortly after he arrived at the home in the district of Kendal in the morning, Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Ahmad Luthfi said.
The police officer said Muslimin’s father identified as Mustaqim was the first to learn about his death.
The suspect vomited as he rested in the bedroom and died shortly afterward, Ahmad said.
Colonel Rinoso Budi from the Central Java Military Police Command told Kompas news website that postmortem reports indicate no external injuries on the body.
“The autopsy didn’t find any violence-related wounds, he probably died from poisoning,” Rinoso said.
But police have not concluded that Muslimin committed suicide.
Muslimin has been sought by a joint team of soldiers and police after his wife Rina Wulandari was shot by a group of four men on motorcycles near the couple’s home in the provincial capital of Semarang on July 18.
Rina, 34, was shot in her stomach while riding a scooter after picking up her daughter from school.
The police have arrested the four attackers and a fifth man accused as the gun supplier and revealed that they were hired by Muslimin as hitmen.
“The perpetrators were paid Rp 120 million [$8,000] to be shared among themselves,” Ahmad said in a news conference three days ago.
“They bought a suspected homemade gun and four bullets for Rp 3 million.”
Even before any arrest was made, the husband triggered suspicions because he immediately disappeared, particularly after police released the video footage of the attack.
Police said Muslimin has made at least four attempts on Rina’s life after he had an affair with another woman. He has tried to kill his wife with poison, fake burglary, and even “black magic”, according to police.
