Bandung. The West Java Regional Police has arrested one suspect in the 2016 murder case of Vina Dewi Arsita and her boyfriend, Muhammad Rizky Rudiana, alias Eki.

The case gained renewed attention after the release of the film "Vina: Sebelum 7 Hari (Vina: Before 7 Days)" on May 8, depicting the incident.

One of the suspects, previously on the Wanted Persons List (DPO), was arrested in Bandung City, West Java.

Police Commissioner Surawan, Director of the General Crime Investigation Directorate at the West Java Regional Police, confirmed the arrest of Pegi Setiawan, 31.

"Setiawan was arrested last night in Bandung," Surawan said.

Investigations into Setiawan's involvement are ongoing.

Vina, a second-year vocational high school student at the time, fell victim to a motorcycle gang in Jalan Raya Talun, Cirebon Regency, West Java. Her body, alongside her boyfriend Eki's, was discovered on a sidewalk. Initially categorized as a vehicle incident, the subsequent investigation uncovered the murders and sexual assault.

Among the original 11 suspects, eight have been arrested. Two other fugitives, Andi, 30, and Dani, 28, remain at large. The trio from Banjarwangun village in the Mundu district of Cirebon regency has been fugitives for almost eight years.

Jogie Nainggolan, a lawyer representing five of the eight convicts, questioned the lack of forensic evidence during the investigation, particularly regarding DNA tests.

The bodies were exhumed for an autopsy and forensic doctors found a trace of sperm inside Vina’s genitalia, leading police to assume that she had been raped.

“But there was no DNA test to confirm whose sperm is that while my clients were readily available for the test at that time,” Jogie said.

Saka Tatal, one of eight convicts, recently claimed he was wrongly convicted. He was just 15 when he was arrested and coerced into confessing to the crime. Released in 2020, he served an eight-year sentence, while the others received life imprisonment. "I was at home with family and friends that night, unaware of the crime," Saka, now 23, told BTV.

Marliyana, Vina's sister, expressed satisfaction with the renewed attention to the case prompted by the film. She urged law enforcement to intensify efforts to capture the remaining fugitives.

Vina's family sought assistance from prominent lawyer Hotman Paris, urging the West Java Police to summon the fugitives' families.

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