Dwi Bagus Martono (40), the suspect behind the grisly murder and mutilation of his de facto wife and her young son, thought adopting a religious persona inside an East Java sanctuary would keep him off the radar. detikNews reported that while hiding out in Jombang, East Java, the fugitive traded his real identity for the moniker “Amanullah”—a deliberate translation meant to evoke safety.
Inside the Jombang Sanctuary and the New Identity
Investigators from the East Java Regional Police tracked the 40-year-old suspect to a local padepokan, or religious retreat, owned by a man named Munir. According to AKP Muhammad Fauzi, Head of Unit III of Sub-dit III Jatanras under the Ditreskrimum of the East Java Police, Dwi Bagus specifically chose the name Amanullah as he crossed the threshold of the retreat. “Yes (changed his name to) Amanullah. To stay safe, that is the intention,” Fauzi stated.
The fugitive managed to infiltrate the sanctuary through an acquaintance he met while performing the Hajj pilgrimage in 2025. Unaware of the violent crimes left behind in Madiun, residents and affiliates of the padepokan welcomed him without suspicion. Even the wife of the retreat owner expressed sharp protest during the subsequent police raid, entirely blindsided by the true nature of the man sheltering among them, as noted by Kumparan.com.
Unravelling the Madiun Atrocities
The manhunt and subsequent capture follow an investigation into the killings of Dini Hardiyanti (30) and her four-year-old son, Arshaka Ghafa El Faezya (AGEF), which sent shockwaves through the region. Pre-reconstruction findings released by investigators indicate that the violence began during a morning dispute on September 20, 2026, inside a hotel room in Madiun. The argument escalated into a physical altercation, leaving Dini dead by strangulation and setting off a horrific cover-up involving dismemberment, burning, and the disposal of remains in a river, as detailed by Kompas.id.
/data/photo/2026/05/22/6a0fbd045d621.jpg "Photo: Kompas")
Legal representatives for the victim’s family have pushed back against the narrative that the killings stemmed solely from a spontaneous argument over jealousy. Ikbal Sermaf, the family’s legal counsel, voiced skepticism regarding the suspect’s calm demeanor during police processing, suggesting a deeper premeditated orchestration. “I do not find a deep sense of remorse from the perpetrator,” Sermaf remarked following a meeting with the suspect at the East Java Police headquarters, as covered by Disway.
Meanwhile, institutional voices have stepped forward to classify the tragedy within a broader societal framework. Organizations including Indonesia Femicide Watch (IFW) and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) have formally categorized the killings as femicide, pointing to entrenched patriarchal hierarchies and coercive control within intimate partner relationships. Experts from Universitas Airlangga have also raised concerns over the potential for copycat crimes, warning that publicized gruesome methodologies risk inspiring similar acts of extreme aggression.
Next Steps in the Investigation
As state prosecutors and police investigators continue to piece together the timeline of the evasion and the execution of the crime, Dwi Bagus remains in custody facing charges of premeditated murder. Authorities have confirmed that no other accomplices have been identified in the harboring of the suspect or the destruction of evidence, though inquiries into the full scope of the suspect’s actions prior to his arrest in Jombang remain ongoing.
