Bali rocked by spate of murder cases – is Indonesian island more dangerous now?

Igor Komarov, a 28-year-old Ukrainian, was kidnapped and later found dead in a suspected murder in Bali in February.

Photo: YouTube Bali’s reputation as a carefree tropical escape has been shaken by a string of brutal crimes, including the kidnapping and dismemberment of a Ukrainian man and the fatal stabbing of a Dutch visitor.

The cases – some involving foreign suspects and bearing the hallmarks of organised or premeditated violence – have fuelled growing alarm, prompting residents and visitors to the Indonesian holiday island to ask: Is Bali becoming a stage for international crime?

Observers say the cases do not indicate a trend of rising crimes in Bali.

Nonetheless, they suggest an emergence of more vicious cases. “Crimes committed in Bali seem to be increasing in quality, but in terms of quantity, there is no increase,” said Gede Made Suardana, a professor of law and criminology at Bali’s Udayana University. “There are still more Indonesians who commit crimes [than foreign nationals].” To the general public, however, Bali may appear to have become more dangerous because the recent cases were well executed, with some resembling contract killings.

On February 15, 28-year-old Ukrainian Igor Komarov was kidnapped and later found dead in a suspected murder.

Video footage has emerged showing Komarov severely beaten and begging for help from his family, from whom he said his attackers were demanding a US$10 million ransom to secure his release.

In late February, residents made a grisly discovery on a beach of dismembered human remains, later confirmed to be Komarov’s Tourists walk in a shopping area in Seminyak, Bali.

The number of visitors to the Indonesian island continued to rise last year.

Photo: EPA According to Indonesian police, six foreign nationals are allegedly involved in the kidnap and murder plot – four of them are suspected to have fled Indonesia, and the other two are believed to remain at large in the country.

On March 23, a 49-year-old Dutch tourist was fatally stabbed in front of his Indonesian girlfriend by two men on a motorcycle as the couple walked their dogs on a road near their villa.

According to police, the alleged perpetrators, who have left Indonesia, are Brazilians.

It is not clear what prompted the attack.

But the assailants did not take any personal belongings from the victim, leading police to say they are exploring premeditated murder as a motive, an offence that carries the death penalty in Indonesia. “We urge

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