Woman Found After Three Years Captive; Boyfriend at Large

A woman identified as YTT, 29, arrived at Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung unable to stand and bearing severe injuries. Her left eye had atrophied and was sightless; her right was infected; her upper lip was destroyed. She had been missing from her home in Antapani, Bandung, for more than three years. A WhatsApp message from an unknown sender was how her family learned her location.

YTT's family reported the case to the West Java Police on June 12, 2026. According to the ongoing investigation, she was allegedly held captive and tortured by her boyfriend, identified by his initials TH, in a rented room in the Cileunyi area of Bandung District for approximately three years. The torture was inflicted with hands, blunt objects, and sharp weapons. Personal belongings valued at approximately 52 million rupiah were stolen. TH, who is said to work as a debt collector, remains at large.

Syahrul Ulum, her brother, described YTT's condition when she was first found. "Her right eye is infected, her left eye has shrunken and she can't see out of it. And the upper part of her mouth here—it's completely gone," he said.

Three Years Without Detection

How could YTT vanish for three years without triggering any detection system? She was never registered in coordinated missing-person procedures. She was discovered only after an unknown sender messaged her family.

Beyond permanent vision loss, she suffered severe injuries to her head, face, and legs, along with lesser injuries to her hands. She is now receiving care at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, but it remains unclear who will cover the costs of her long-term recovery.

The case is being handled by the Women and Children Services unit of the West Java Police's Criminal Investigation Directorate. The search for TH is ongoing.

Why Multiple Charges?

Dating violence is not explicitly covered by the 2004 Domestic Violence Elimination Law, which primarily targets couples bound by marriage or living under the same roof. Investigators therefore turned to the Criminal Code to apply multiple charges simultaneously: unlawful confinement, aggravated assault, and theft of the victim's property.

The enactment of Law No. 1/2023 on January 2, 2026, has given investigators a choice between the old and new legal codes—a technical decision that will determine the maximum penalty TH faces if apprehended.

Abdullah, a member of Commission III of the House of Representatives, urged police to apply this approach fully. "TH must be charged under multiple statutes—starting with unlawful confinement and aggravated assault, plus any other crimes substantiated during the investigation," he said. He stressed that the sentence should have strong deterrent effect. "Law enforcement must be pursued to the maximum to ensure justice for the victim and serve as a powerful message about the consequences of such crimes."

He made these remarks on Monday, June 22, after the case went viral on social media and prompted comments from various public figures. "We hope the perpetrator is arrested quickly to answer for what he's done. What he did was utterly inhumane," Abdullah added.

Like the Little Aresha case, which also involved systematic violence in confinement, proving such crimes depends on investigative rigor rather than public pressure. Commission III has not formally called for a police briefing. The National Commission on Violence Against Women and the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection had not issued formal statements as of this article's publication.