Bali, the "Island of the Gods," is a paradise on Earth.
Located in Indonesia, the vast archipelago in Southeast Asia, Bali is also known for its culture, where locals are still holding strong to their centuries-old traditions and beliefs that have been passed for generations.
And this time, a sex tape, allegedly between a couple in Bali, went viral. And because of that, the authorities of Bali have launched an investigation with the aim of arresting the perpetrators.
The first clue they had from the video, is the bracelet the woman is seen wearing.
In the video, the Balinese woman in mid-coitus is seen wearing a traditional bracelet called "tridatu." The etymologically comes from the word "tri" which means three, and "datu" means king, so tridatu means the "three kings. The colors of Tridatu Bracelet are red, black, and white.
Or also called "trailokya," the bracelet holds the conceptions of three worlds (tri-loka). Tridatu that appear in Hinduism and Jainism, as well as early Buddhist texts, is believed to bestow protection to the wearer.
It all began when earlier reports suggest that a video clip involving teenagers engaging in sexual intercourse went viral on the internet.
Reports said that the clip was taken at a guest house in Denpasar.
After thorough investigation, the police identified the woman, and found more videos of her. Besides the bracelet that suggests that she's a Balinese, the woman also has a very distinctive mole on her cheek.
When the woman was identified, initially, the man’s identity was still unknown.
"We haven’t found the man. Once [they are arrested], we will inform you," said Bali Police Cyber Crimes Unit Chief Nanang Prihasmoko.
Nanang also confirmed that initial reports about the woman were false.
The woman in the video is at least 20 years old, not a teenager, and she is also not a student, Nanang added.
The information about the woman in the leaked videos that went viral were wrong.
Nanang also said that the Bali Police are still trying to determine who uploaded the videos in the first place.
According to the police, the woman initially refused to be recorded.
Police Chief Nanang Prihasmoko said that from the investigation, it was discovered that the female victim did not initially know that her sex scenes were recorded, and that when she was arrested, she didn't even know that videos of her were already leaking to the internet.
It was only after realizing this, that the victim chose to file a report.
"Feeling that it was defamation of the private video, the victim made a police report. On the basis of the police report, we carried out a more intense investigation into the people suspected and then narrowed down based on the victim's statement," Nanang said.
It was only through her confession, that the police received a heads up, and arrested a 26-year-old man, and named him the primary suspect in the case of spreading the steamy videos.
He was arrested in North Denpasar on 26 April 2023.
The perpetrator admitted to have threatened his ex-girlfriend, and confessed to spreading the video via Telegram without her consent.
"The person spread the video through Telegram social media by creating an anonymous account," said Nanang.
On Telegram's account, the perpetrator created a chat group, to then use the group to spread photos of the victim including the sex tape.
The videos he shared bear the watermark 'Om Bejo'.
After the videos went viral, the perpetrator deleted the Telegram account.
What this means, the case is more than just a sex tape leaked, but a revenge porn with the aim to dox and defame.
Because of this, the perpetrator was charged with Article 27 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 45 paragraph (1) of Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions and Article 4 paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 29 of the Pornography Law.
Under Indonesian law, producing and distributing pornographic content is a crime punishable by up to 12 years behind bars and a fine up to Rp 1 billion.
As for the motive, Nanang said that the was furious that the woman ended their 5-year relationship and refused to talk to him.
"And for the original video that was distributed, the perpetrator still kept the it as a backup on his computer device. The distribution of the video was done by the perpetrator because he was hurt that the victim broke up with him, and blocked his phone number," continued Nanang.
It's said that the video was taken in 2020 in a hotel room in Denpasar.
While the scenes were short, some people said that the actual length of the videos is at least 20 minutes, meaning that the clips were clipped before they went viral.