The Tanah Karo Police (Polres Tanah Karo) have successfully uncovered a severe assault case resulting in death in the tourist area of Mount Sibayak, Karo Regency. Nine individuals suspected of participating in the vigilante act are now in police custody after assaulting one victim to death and injuring six other teenagers.
Karo Police Chief, AKBP Pebriandi Haloho, revealed during a press conference on Wednesday (15/7/2026) that the investigation began with a report regarding the death of a 17-year-old teenager, identified by the initials RCS from Medan City, who arrived at Efarina Berastagi Hospital with suspicious injuries. Subsequent investigations by the Cobra Team of the Karo Police Criminal Investigation Unit and the Berastagi Police exposed a chain of violence involving the same group of perpetrators against the victims.
The motive behind the brutal attack stemmed from unilateral accusations by local residents. The victims, who were hiking on Mount Sibayak, were accused of stealing belongings from other hikers. The perpetrators, including a local retribution fee collector, immediately carried out collective acts of violence against the teenage victims.
The violence did not stop there; the perpetrators also forcibly picked up victim RCS from Tongging Village based on information alleging he had committed a theft in the tourist area some time earlier. RCS was then taken to the scene and subjected to severe torture, ultimately losing his life due to severe injuries.
The nine suspects currently detained are identified by the initials RS, ASS, MFRST, AT, WS, JSE, SAR, Z, and OS. During their assault, they bound the victims, struck them with bare hands and blunt objects, whipped them with belts, and burned their bodies with lit cigarettes. Police confiscated evidence including a water hose, three belts, and a public transportation vehicle used to transport the victim.
For their heinous acts, the perpetrators face multiple charges under child protection laws and severe assault provisions of the Criminal Code (KUHP). AKBP Pebriandi emphasized that the case was purely triggered by vigilante action over theft allegations, not a conflict regarding retribution fees as rumored. He also urged the public to report any suspected criminal acts to law enforcement to maintain security in the Karo region.
