Oesin Bestari
Oesin Bestari was an Indonesian of Arabic-descent goat butcher and goat leather trader turned robber and serial killer active around 1961 to 1964 in present day Mojokerto Regency, East Java Province. He was the first person executed by civil execution in post-independence Indonesia.
Early life
Not much known about his early life. He was born to Umar Baftari, an Arab goat butcher, and have a brother named Alwi bin Umar Baftari a.k.a. Mamak which became his future partner-in-crime.In 1961, he married Rafiah, a Javanese girl from Mojokerto City. After his marriage, he moved to Kalimati Village, a village in Tarik District, Sidoarjo Regency and live there by renting a house belong to Mas'ud family, another Arab. Shortly after the wedding, his father died and his mother moved to live with Oesin's family. Sometime later, he moved to Seduri Village, Mojosari District, Mojokerto Regency, a small village on the border of Surabaya and Mojokerto Regency, where he committed the majority of his killings. He also rented house at Jagalan Village, Kranggan District, Mojokerto Regency as his second home.
Killing spree
During the span of 1961 to 1964, assisted with his brother Mamak and his servant Andi a.k.a. Iteng, Oesin murdered 25 people. He first looking after his potential victim's candidate from fellow traders in local markets. After forming a friendship relation with them, he lured his victims with offers to invest in his businesses in leather trade, fertilizers, or gold by confidence tricks. His victims were made to meet him personally in his home in Seduri Village and bringing their money or gold with them. There, Mamak and Iteng will talk to the victims while giving them coffee or tea. Either the beverages were laced with some substance or employing some kind of hypnosis methods, his victims had their awareness weakened during the talk. When they were weak, he then smashed his victims' head with iron mortar or stabbing them with knife to death before robbing them and disposed their bodies. Many of his victims are thrown to Brantas River, either thrown into waters or he buried his victims on the riverbanks. Some of them even buried in his own home due to the number of his victims that he killed in a day.When he going to kill his victim, Oesin often asked his wife and his mother to take his children away to his relatives' home, saying that his "investors" had come from far-away cities and need for lodging for business.
Oesin killed a lot of his fellow Arab and Arab Indonesians traders, as well Chinese Indonesians trader too. Among many of his victims, some of his notable victims were:
- Juli, 26, a rich young trader from Tulungagung. Killed c. May 1961, based on missing person report filed to the Police, making Juli his early victim. From Juli, Oesin and his associates robbed Rp 80,000.00 along with Juli's expensive watches, golden necklace and 2 golden bracelets.
- Jayadi, 27, a rich young trader from Kediri. Killed c. June 1961. From Jayadi, Oesin and his associates robbed Rp 15,000.00 along with Jayadi's 50 gram of gold.
- Siram, unknown age, a trader from Jombang. Killed sometime in 1961, shortly after Jayadi's killing. From Siram, Oesin and his associates robbed Rp 47,000.00 along with Siram's motorcycle, and expensive watches.
- Jazid bin Mari, unknown age, an Arab trader from Sidoarjo. Killed in 1963. It was unknown how much Oesin and his associates got from him. However, his killing by Oesin much sadistic because Oesin killed him by drowning him by tied him with 40 kg of iron scraps to Brantas River.
Capture
However, on 11 May 1964, his killing spree eventually ended when Masfud, a gold trader from Kauman Village, Prajurit Kulon District, Mojokerto City was lured into Oesin's home at Seduri Village. During his attempt of eventual botched robbery at Oesin's home, Masfud screamed at the top of his lungs during fight. Although Masfud eventually defeated and tortured by Oesin and his associates to death, his scream was enough to attract Oesin's neighbors and patrolling police officers which accidentally passing in front of his home. While trying to take Rp 1,500,000.00 that brought by Masfud, the police caught him and his associates red-handed with blood along with dead body of Masfud, leading to Oesin and his associates to be captured. Even when surrounded by police closely, Oesin attempted to bribe the polices with Rp 100,000.00 which make the police became undeterred and take him and his associates away.Eventually, despite his initial forgetfulness of the number of his victims, Police, along with officers from attorney general and local Mojokerto City government which supervised directly by Mayor of Mojokerto at that time, Raden Sudibyo, eventually able to locate all 25 victims which he disposed in various locations, including his two rented homes. Most of his victims already decomposed beyond recognition by the time of discovery due to being submerged in Brantas River waters for long time. Since the first excavation of his victim's burial sites on 25 June 1964, Mojokerto locals discovered many unidentifiable parts of human bodies had washed ashore at many points in Brantas River' riverbanks and buried the discovered parts in pauper's plots.
Effects in politics
Due to his sheer number of his victims and extreme methods employed by him, both Communist Party of Indonesia and Masyumi accused that his murders are political in nature. Oesin killings happened during the time when political rivalry between communists and Islam at the new peak before G30S movement happened. For Masyumi, Oesin is accused as a "communist extremist" which enjoying killing rich people, which are enemies of the working and farmer class. For PKI, Oesin is accused as "Islamic extremist" due to among his victims also connected by PKI in some ways. However, political motives are ruled out as the motive and political affiliation of his victims were purely speculations, as Oesin admitted that his killings were purely for financial gain.Trial and execution
Oesin and his associates Mamak and Iteng eventually tried in Surabaya High Court. In 1967, 3 years after being captured, Oesin, as the main criminal, was awarded with death sentence, while Mamak and Iteng, as they were accessories to the crimes, were awarded with 20-years imprisonment. Oesin become the first Indonesian citizen condemned with capital punishment in civilian capacity, not military. Oesin become death row inmates for 11 years.During his time in Kalisosok Prison, Krembangan District, Surabaya, Oesin was reformed and became a model prisoner. He learned and eventually mastered the art of tailoring and become tailor at the prison's vocational depot. He also become informant for the warden and helping the warden in failing multiple prison break attempts and plots. On 1977, Oesin submitted his last clemency to the then President Suharto, which ultimately rejected.
On 14 September 1978, Oesin was executed at dawn time somewhere on a section of Kenjeran Beach, Surabaya. At midnight before the execution, he was taken by two wardens from his cell in Kalisosok Prison and transported to Kenjeran Beach, where Mobile Brigade Corps executioners from Regional Police Command Region X already waiting for him. He was given white clothing to wear and had an ustadz as his spiritual advisor, as prescribed by Law No. 2/PNPS/1964, and tied to the wooden execution post that stuck into the beach' sand. To his spiritual advisor, he requested his spiritual advisor to look after his brother, Alwi, which at that time is imprisoned. When the public prosecutor official addressed him to be blindfolded or not, he replied to the officer with his last words "Terserah bapak." The officer then blindfolded him, marked his heart location with aid of the medical doctor, and the execution commenced. After a volley of shot released by his executioners, a bullet hit his heart and killed him on the spot.
Oesin is buried somewhere at Gubeng District, Surabaya.