Zetro Leonardo Purba, 40, an administrative staff at the Indonesian Embassy in Peru, was shot three times while cycling back to his apartment in Lince district, Lima. The victim was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
The incident occurred on the night of September 1 and by September 2 (local time), Peruvian authorities determined that this could be a "contract murder". Home Secretary Carlos Malaver stressed that this was a deliberate murder, as the suspects had phuced before the shooting.
Security cameras recorded the moment a helmet-wearing man approached Purba, firing two shots from close range, causing him to collapse, then firing another shot at his head before escaping with his accomplice on the motorbike. The police said that no property was stolen, and that the suspect had been following the victim for many days before.
Peruvian Foreign Minister Elmer Schialer pledged to strengthen security for the Indonesian Embassy and strongly condemned the " humiliating behavior" targeting foreign diplomatic staff. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry has said it will investigate the case until the end.
From Jakarta, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said that Purba had just arrived in Peru for a 5-month working trip and was a devoted diplomat. He expressed his deep condolences to the victim's family and asked Peruvian authorities to promptly conduct a transparent investigation while ensuring the safety of Indonesian citizens.
This is one of the rare cases of foreign diplomatic personnel being attacked in Peru. The case comes amid a sharp increase in violent crime in the country, with more than 1,500 murders recorded since the start of the year, up more than 20% over the same period last year. alone, blackmail cases have increased by 28%, with nearly 16,000 complaints in the first half of the year alone.
Peruvian investigators are currently analyzing data from multiple security cameras to track down the group of murderers, while public opinion continues to monitor the developments of this shocking case.
