DENPASAR, DEWATA.NEWS – A Singaporean national has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 26-year-old Indonesian woman in Denpasar, Bali, with police alleging the crime was motivated by a personal relationship dispute.
The suspect, identified by the initials MZ, 25, was arrested on Wednesday night (July 15) by a joint team from the Bali Police Criminal Investigation Directorate, Denpasar Police, and South Denpasar Police.
The victim, identified as AS, 26, from Tegal, Central Java, was found dead on Wednesday evening at a boarding house on Jalan Mekar II in Pedungan, South Denpasar.
Denpasar Police Chief Kombes Pol. Leonardo D. Simatupang said investigators’ initial interrogation revealed that the suspect had overstayed his Indonesian immigration permit for approximately one year.
“The suspect entered Bali as a tourist but has overstayed since 2025,” Leonardo said on Thursday (July 16).
Police said the suspect admitted the killing was driven by emotional conflict related to his romantic relationship with the victim.
“Their relationship had lasted for about a year,” Leonardo said.
Authorities were first alerted after receiving a report through the Indonesian National Police’s 110 emergency call center regarding the discovery of the victim’s body.
Police immediately secured the scene and launched an investigation involving officers from Bali Police, Denpasar Police, and South Denpasar Police.
“After processing the crime scene, we obtained the suspect’s physical description and the identity of the motorcycle used,” Leonardo said.
Using that information, the joint investigation team located and arrested the suspect on Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai in Sanur, approximately three hours after the victim’s body was discovered.
Police said the suspect and the victim were in a dating relationship.
According to investigators, the victim was allegedly strangled inside her boarding house room on Saturday (July 11). Police said the suspect resisted arrest when officers apprehended him in Sanur.
The investigation remains ongoing as detectives continue gathering evidence and preparing the case for prosecution.