"Promised to Go Out but No News for 2 Weeks"... Indonesian Version of the 'Frog Boys Case' Occurs

The three boys last captured on video two weeks ago
[Image source = Tribune News]
[Image source = Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] An elementary school student disappearance case reminiscent of Korea's 'Frog Boys Incident' has occurred in Indonesia. Hundreds have conducted search operations, but the whereabouts of the children remain unknown for the second week.

According to foreign media on the 31st, a report was received by the police that three 7-year-old elementary school boys who went out to play with friends in a village in Langkat Regency, North Sumatra Island, went missing on the 18th. The children's names are Nizam, Yogi, and Zahra.

Masdaani, the mother of one of the missing children, said, "My son went out to play near the lake with his friends, but even at lunchtime, he did not return."

The police immediately launched a search after receiving the report. The police are conducting searches centered on the area based on tips from residents such as "I saw the children at the lake," "I saw them playing near the construction site," and "I saw them walking toward the market."

A Langkat Regency police official said, "We deployed 200 people to find traces of the children, but there has been no success," adding, "We also deployed sniffer dogs, but since it is the rainy season and there has been heavy rain, the dogs could not pick up the scent."

The police are continuing the search by sealing off the area based on a video taken on the day the children went missing, showing them playing. In a video taken by village resident Sulastri on the 18th, the children were seen running beside an excavator digging a pit.

Sulastri said, "I was filming the excavator digging the sewer, and the children running by were captured," adding, "The children were excited to see the heavy equipment and ran around here and there."

Parents of missing children call a shaman to release goldfish into the lake
[Image source = Tribune News]
[Image source = Yonhap News]

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Currently, not only the families of the three missing children but also the entire village are gathered at the community center waiting for the children. However, as the wait has continued for about two weeks, ominous rumors have spread among the residents, such as "A 9kg goldfish without eyes was recently in the lake, and a fisherman caught it, which caused this incident."

In response, the parents of the missing children reportedly called a shaman in desperation, released other goldfish into the lake, and offered prayers, adding to the sorrow.

Some say this case is similar to Korea's 'Frog Boys Incident.'

The 'Frog Boys Incident' refers to the disappearance of five elementary school boys aged 9 to 13 who went to catch salamander eggs on March 26, 1991, at Waryongsan Mountain in Dalseo-gu, Daegu.

At that time, the police deployed a total of 320,000 people to search mainly around Waryongsan Mountain but could not find any trace.

After more than ten years, on September 26, 2002, the remains of the five missing boys were found on the fourth ridge of Waryongsan Mountain, and the statute of limitations expired on March 25, 2006.

To solve the 'Frog Boys Incident,' the Daegu Police Department's cold case investigation team was formed last September and began reinvestigation, but it is known that no significant clues have been secured yet.

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