REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Police pledged to explore all information related to activist Ratna Sarumpaet hoax case on fake assault. Police would also investigate alleged Whatsapp conversation about scenario of her hoax.
“I can’t say there is the Whatsapp conversation or not, but we are looking for all related information from social medias, individuals, and so on,” said National Police spokesman Setyo Wasisto on Monday (Oct 15).
Setyo asserted that police investigator to check information about alleged Whatsapp conversation that contained Ratna hoax scenario. Police also have dug information from witnesses and also Ratna as suspect.
The case started when Ratna who was one of spokepersons of Prabowo-Sandiaga campaign team decided to have cosmetic surgery on Sept 21, without any consent of her families. The next day, a picture of her with swollen face circulated on social media. To her families, she claimed it was a result of an assault happened in Bandung, West Java.
She kept her secret for a week. Ratna also hide the truth from her politician friends, including Amien Rais, Prabowo Subianto, and Fadli Zon. On Oct 2, Fadli tweeted about the assault and it catched public attention.
Later that night, Ratna met Prabowo and his national campaign team to clarified about the incident. Ratna did not tell the truth yet. Prabowo then stood for her, saying he would met national police chief to discuss the case.
Also read: Nanik S Deyang meets Jakarta police summon on Ratna case
According to chairwoman of the Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno campaign team, Nanik S Deyang, the incident had taken place on Sept 21, near Husein Sastranegara International Airport. However, on Oct 3, police found out that Ratna had not been in Bandung that day, but at Jakarta hospital specializing in cosmetic surgery.
Ratna then admitted to have lied. She said pictures of her swollen eyes that went viral were the result of liposuction and apologized to Prabowo and public for her deception.
Jakarta Police arrested Ratna when she was about to take a flight to Chile at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, to attend international playwrights conference on Oct 4. She was named as a suspect under Article 14 Law No. 1/1946 on criminal law regulations and Article 28 juncto Article 45 Law No. 11/2008 on Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE).
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