Video does not prove Indonesian murder victim is still alive

Published on August 20, 2024 at 08:48
4 min read
By Satya Adhi, AFP Indonesia

Police in Indonesia's West Java province have refuted a false online claim that a teenage victim in a double murder case is still alive. The video -- viewed millions of times in multiple social media posts -- featured edited clips of the teenager's father, the country's police chief and a TikTok user who said he had been falsely identified as the victim.

"I would like to deeply apologise and clarify that our son is still alive and has already married," says a man in a video published on Facebook on August 12, 2024.

The text accompanying the Indonesian-language video reiterates the claim that Muhammad Rizky, killed alongside his girlfriend Vina Dewi Arsita in 2016, is "still alive".

The video -- viewed more than 3,000 times -- also includes a muted clip of a man talking to the camera against a black background.

It opens with footage of Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Indonesia's national police chief, saying: "To accelerate the arrest, we ask [him] to come [to the station], and I guess the chief of crime unit has sent the summons letter."

Similar videos have also been shared on Facebook here and here; on TikTok here; and on SnackVideo here, here, and here; racking up more than 12 million views.

Screenshot of the false post, captured on August 14, 2024

The double murder in Cirebon, in Indonesia's West Java province, has redrawn public attention following the release of a horror film in May 2024 inspired by the case.

Police have long faced criticism over their handling of the killings, in which, according to the 2017 verdict by Cirebon Court, the pair were beaten and 16-year-old Arsita raped by a gang of motorcyclists.

The video circulating in August 2024 does not prove that Rizky, also known as Eky, is still alive.

Edited videos

West Java police force confirmed to AFP the video "is a hoax".

"According to facts in this case, two people have died, they are Eky and Vina," spokesman Jules Abraham Abast told AFP on August 19.

Google reverse image and keyword searches trace the footage of Rizy's father to a video published on TikTok by Indonesian broadcaster RTV (archived link).

"I would like to make a clarification about the spread of fake news, mentioning that my son Muhammad Rizky is still alive and has already married. I confirm that the news is not true, a slander. Once again, the news is not true," Rudiana says 16 seconds into the clip.

"Our son, Muhammad Rizky, died in an unnatural way," adds Rudiana, who goes by one name.

Below is the comparison between the false video (left) and the video from RTV's TikTok account (right):

Comparison between the false video (left) and the video from RTV's TikTok account (right)

The clip of a man against a black background featured in the video was traced to a separate post by TikTok user Bambang Irawan, who was trying to combat disinformation about his apparent ties to the case only for his footage to be recirculated misleadingly.

"I would like to clarify the recent viral accusations about me where I was made to look like Eky. However, I don’t know Eky at all. My real name is Bambang Irawan," he says (archived link).

Below is the comparison between a clip in the false video (left) and the original video from Bambang's TikTok account (left):

Comparison between a clip in the false video (left) and the original video from Bambang's TikTok account (left)

The clip of Indonesia's national police chief talking about illegal gambling was published on YouTube by local broadcaster Kompas TV Jawa Timur on July 27, 2024 (archived link).

He did not mention the murder case in the footage.

Additional footage used in the false video was taken from a news report about a raid on a regional police officer over an alleged affair (archived link).

AFP has previously fact-checked misinformation about the murder case here, here and here.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail