Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar detained over Indonesian school abuse allegations

Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar, the former headmaster of the Abul Barokat Islamic boarding school on Lombok, Indonesia, has been detained and named a suspect following a BBC Eye investigation into allegations of sexual abuse.

The investigation, which highlighted efforts by former students to gather evidence, prompted police to reopen the case. Following the report, 12 additional former students provided testimony to authorities. Central to the investigation were former pupils Ziadatur Rahmah and Sukma Rohana Fajar, who detailed allegations of sexual assault and attempted rape.

Former students reported that when they presented a seven-page document of allegations to representatives of the school's governing organization, Nahdlatul Wathan Diniyah Islamiyah (NWDI), they were pressured to retract their claims. Secretly recorded phone calls captured Sumar, known to students as Abah, apologizing and asking students to protect his reputation and “cover the shame” of their teacher. Sumar held a news conference denying the allegations, though he acknowledged the voice in the recordings was his.