Indonesia police say man poisoned woman with satay over insult

Police in Boyolali, Central Java, say a family grievance turned into a calculated killing when Purwadi Wahyudi used a delivery app to send chicken satay laced with rat poison to Aminah, 57. Investigators said the 40-year-old suspect arranged the meal to look as if it had come from the victim’s daughter, then later admitted buying the satay and mixing it with poison.

According to Boyolali Police, the satay was ordered on 18 May 2026 and delivered at 18:16 WIB through Gosend, using a fake account name and photo belonging to Aminah’s youngest child, Luriyanti Putri. Police said Purwadi also told the driver to present the food as if it had come from “Mbake,” a Javanese term used for an older sister or woman, while the courier became suspicious because the sender appeared to be male.

Aminah, a resident of Sindon village in Ngemplak district, was found dead at home on 19 May, covered in vomit. Her family buried her the same day, but later raised alarms after suspecting she had not died naturally. Their report prompted investigators to reopen the case and intensify the inquiry into the delivery, the food, and the circumstances of her death.

On 30 May 2026, police exhumed the body for forensic examination. Autopsy work by Dokpol and laboratory testing reportedly found toxic chemicals in Aminah’s major organs, as well as in the satay, the chicken carcass, vomit residue, and other evidence collected by investigators. Police also said poison was found in one of the victim’s chickens.

Purwadi was detained and named a suspect after police concluded the poisoning had been deliberate. Investigators said he had felt disrespected or ignored by Aminah and that he tried to frame his sister-in-law to divert blame. Indonesian authorities say the case may be charged as premeditated murder under Article 340 of the Criminal Code, a provision that can carry the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The killing has drawn national attention because of the method as much as the motive. In a country where food delivery is now routine, police say the satay was used as the vehicle for a murder that was meant to look ordinary, then unraveled only after relatives pressed for a closer look.