Bali police arrest Singaporean for allegedly strangling girlfriend: Media reports
Eileen Ng
The Straits Times
July 16, 2026
Indonesian police have arrested a Singaporean man after he allegedly killed his girlfriend at a boarding house on the holiday island of Bali, according to local media reports.
The 26-year-old Singaporean, identified in reports only as MZ, was alleged to have strangled his Indonesian girlfriend, identified only as AS, in a room at the boarding house on the island’s capital of Denpasar.
Online news portal Detik.com reported that he had allegedly hid her body in the room under a doll, and she was eventually found by her brother on July 15.
Denpasar police chief Leonardo D Simatupang said on July 16 that the man was arrested after the police received a report on the evening of July 15, according to local media.
He added that the suspect, who has overstayed his visa in Bali since arriving as a tourist in 2025, had tried to flee towards Sanur, a laid-back coastal town on the island’s south-eastern coast, before he was caught.
“He committed the act by strangling the victim for 15 minutes,” Leonardo was quoted as saying by Kompas.com.
Leonardo added that the victim, 26, was from Tegal in central Java.
Initial investigations revealed that the couple had been together for about a year.
Police suspect the alleged murder was due to “relationship problems”, Kompas.com reported.
“Based on our interrogation, the initial motive was due to heartbreak from a romantic relationship,” Leonardo said.
The Straits Times has contacted Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information.
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