Foul smell leads to discovery of man's body beneath Jakarta LRT station

The body of an unidentified man was found inside an electrical substation beneath Pancoran LRT Station in South Jakarta on Tuesday (Sept 1), according to local media. 

Pancoran police chief commissioner Suminto said the body was discovered at around 5.50pm WIB (6.50pm SGT), after which officers were dispatched to the scene. 

Suminto told local media on Tuesday that the deceased is believed to have been electrocuted by high-voltage power equipment.

Suminto also confirmed that a foul odour had been detected in the area, which eventually led to the police being alerted. However, he was unable to confirm whether the smell was due to the victim having been dead for a period of time or other factors. 

"If there's a smell, it's likely due to a high-voltage electrical shock, so we don't know exactly when the person died, because according to PLN, it was due to the high voltage here," he said.

Greater Jakarta LRT public relations manager Radhitya Mardika said the body was not believed to be of an LRT employee and that no employees had been reported missing, according to local media reports. 

Based on evidence found at the scene, Suminto said the man was suspected of attempting to steal cables from the substation. He had allegedly entered carrying a hacksaw and plastic bag before climbing to the second level of the facility. 

Haris Andika, senior manager of communications and general affairs at PLN UID Jakarta Raya, said that PLN conducted an immediate inspection of the electrical assets at the location. 

He said initial inspections found damage to several parts of PLN’s infrastructure, including the substation’s door, which had previously been locked but was found damaged and forced open.

Officials also found that several cables and other components inside the substation had been tampered with, Haris said.

The man's identity remains unknown, according to local media, but his body has reportedly been taken to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital for further examination. 

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esther.lam@asiaone.com