Jakarta/Bandung. President Prabowo Subianto has called for strict legal action in a case involving a woman allegedly held in isolation and abused for years by her boyfriend, a crime that has shocked Indonesia and drawn attention from the country's highest levels of government.

Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman said Prabowo was closely monitoring the case and had instructed authorities to ensure that the legal process proceeds according to the law.

"The president is very concerned about this incident and hopes that something like this will never happen again," Dudung said after meeting the victim's family on Thursday.

The victim, identified by her initials YTR, 29, was reunited with her family this month after they lost contact with her for nearly three years. Police allege that she was subjected to prolonged physical abuse and confinement by her boyfriend, Taufik Hidayat, who was arrested this week in West Java.

According to Dudung, the victim's father and brother asked government officials to ensure that the suspect receives the maximum punishment permitted by law.

"The family hopes that justice will be served and that the perpetrator receives the heaviest punishment," he said.

Years of Isolation
The case has sparked widespread public outrage after YTR was found in critical condition at a hospital in Bandung with severe injuries.

Investigators say YTR met Taufik at a music concert in Bandung in 2023 and later entered into a relationship with him. Shortly afterward, communication with her family gradually ceased.

Relatives spent years searching for YTR, filing missing-person reports and circulating information through social media. During that period, the family received messages from a phone believed to belong to YTR telling them to stop searching for her.

Police suspect the messages may have been sent under coercion.

Authorities say the victim and the suspect rented a boarding house room in the Cinunuk area of West Java earlier this year. Investigators believe she was confined there for several months and subjected to repeated abuse.

The case came to light after Taufik brought YTR to a hospital in Bandung and told medical staff that she had suffered injuries from a fall. He later disappeared, prompting a police investigation.

Family members who later visited the victim said she had suffered severe injuries, including permanent blindness, untreated head wounds that became infected, and injuries to multiple parts of her body.

Police are also investigating allegations that the suspect used approximately Rp 52 million ($2,900) from the victim's credit cards and buy-now-pay-later accounts.

Arrest and Public Reaction
West Java police issued a wanted notice for the suspect before he was arrested in Majalengka earlier this week.

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi had publicly offered a Rp 250 million ($14,000) reward for information leading to Taufik's arrest. Following his capture, Dedi said the money would instead be donated to the victim.

Appearing at a police press conference on Friday, the suspect expressed remorse and apologized to the victim and her family.

"I was wrong. I regret it. I apologize," Taufik said with his head bowed.

The apology was immediately rejected by the victim's family.

"There is no forgiveness," the victim's brother, Afif Shandi, told reporters. "He can easily say he is sorry, but my sister's life has been destroyed."

West Java Police Chief Inspector General Rudi Setiawan described the alleged abuse as exceptionally cruel and said investigators would pursue the most serious charges available.

"Based on the incident and the acts committed, this is something abnormal, cruel and a form of violence that we all condemn," Rudi said. "We will seek the heaviest charges possible against the suspect."

Rudi also called for public support to ensure the suspect receives a punishment commensurate with the alleged crimes, saying women should be protected from such violence and similar cases must not be allowed to recur.

Victim Speaks Out
The victim has also spoken publicly for the first time since her rescue, saying she hopes the suspect receives the maximum punishment allowed under the law.

In a video shared by Governor Dedi on social media, YTR appeared alongside family members and said she was placing her trust in law enforcement authorities.

"We leave it to the authorities," YTR said in a trembling voice. "I hope the perpetrator receives the heaviest punishment and a sentence that is proportional to what he has done."

Recovery Underway
YTR remains under intensive treatment at Hasan Sadikin General Hospital in Bandung, where doctors say her condition has gradually improved.

Fitra Hergyana, the hospital's director for human resources, education and research, said the patient's physical injuries had shown significant improvement and that her psychological condition had also stabilized.

"Her wounds have improved considerably," Fitra told reporters. "Psychologically, she is also doing better. She is now able to talk, eat and sit up."

The hospital said YTR continues to receive both medical and psychological treatment as part of her recovery.

Dudung urged Indonesians to report suspicious activity to authorities, saying greater public vigilance could help prevent similar cases.

"If people see something suspicious or unusual, they should immediately report it to law enforcement," he said.

The case has sparked broader discussions in Indonesia about domestic violence, coercive control, and the challenges families face in locating relatives who may be isolated or subjected to abuse behind closed doors.

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