Online Gambling Debts Drove Suspect to Murder Indonesian Journalist, Say Police

Police investigating the suspected murder of an Indonesian journalist say the purported killer was mired in online gambling debts.

Indonesia’s Metro TV News reported that police now suspect financial motives in the death of Aditya Warman, 47, the editor-in-chief of an online media outlet who resided in Pangkalpinang.

The chief suspect, named as Hasan Basri, was arrested earlier this month after a four-day manhunt.

Basri was “entangled” in gambling debt, officers said. He and another individual (also a suspect in the case) had been working as property guards on Warman’s estate.

Police added that the duo had only been working on the property for two months before they allegedly bludgeoned the journalist to death with a wooden object on August 7, 2025.

Online Gambling Debts Motivated Sadistic Murder, Say Police

Basri, police said, planned the “sadistic murder” in advance, with a view to stealing the journalist’s assets. After killing the man, the duo allegedly tied stones to his body and threw him into a well.

The Head of the Bangka Belitung Regional Police stated that the perpetrators would be charged with multiple offenses. If convicted, they could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Warman was reported missing on August 7 at the Bangka Belitung Island Regional Police Headquarters.

The journalist’s body was found in the well, near his garden, the following day. Following an autopsy, he was buried on August 9. A coroner said the journalist died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.

Warman’s widow has called for courts to issue the death penalty. She said that her husband “had always been kind” to the suspect. She explained that Warman had paid for “all of the victim’s daily living expenses, on top of his basic salary.”

Other Indonesian media outlets claimed that Basri and the other suspect plotted to steal Warman’s car and sell it to pay off the gambling debts.

Indonesian Gambling Crackdown Continues

Indonesia is currently carrying out a sweeping crackdown on online gambling platforms. The nation has also been stunned by revelations that government officials helped online gambling operators evade shutdowns by creating a protection racket.

Dozens of Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs officials and intermediaries have been jailed for helping online gambling sites dodge blocking orders.

Earlier this month, a court in the country sentenced a soldier to death for killing three policemen during a raid on an illegal cockfighting and gambling ring.