Dwi Bagus Martono built brick kiln to burn wife and son in Madiun
Dwi Bagus Martono built a two-meter-tall brick kiln behind a house on Jalan Kunir in Madiun to burn the bodies of his 30-year-old common-law wife, Dini Hardiyanti, and her four-year-old son, Arshaka Ghafa El Faezya, according to an investigation by detikJatim. The killings, which police state involved premeditated murder, mutilation, and the disposal of the victims’ ashes in a river, have exposed a method designed to erase physical evidence before the suspect fled across East Java.
The construction of the kiln took place at the rear of the property in the Kelurahan Ngegong, Kecamatan Manguharjo, positioned near neighboring walls and far away from the main residence of Dwi’s legal wife, detikJatim reported. Investigators from the East Java Regional Police Subdir III Jatanras noted that the structure was built entirely out of lightweight brick after the killings occurred. The heat was intense enough to burn surrounding banana tree leaves, and residual smoke left marks on adjacent property walls.
Hotel Room Dispute and the Sequence of Violence
The fatal sequence began on the morning of September 20, 2026, inside a hotel room in Madiun. A verbal dispute between Dwi and Dini quickly escalated into a physical altercation. During the struggle, Dwi fell and landed on the four-year-old boy, triggering the child’s crying. Investigators state that Dwi then strangled Dini to death. Following the murder, the suspect coaxed young Arshaka out of the room, had him wait in a parked car, and handed him a mobile phone to keep him occupied while he dealt with the body.
Dwi transported Dini’s remains using a sleeping bag he owned from a camping trip he had taken three months prior, according to details uncovered by Kumparan.com. An office boy at the hotel witnessed Dwi carrying the sleeping bag alone to his vehicle. The suspect then moved both victims to his parents’ former home in Winongo, Madiun, where the destruction of evidence—including the later construction of the brick kiln—began.
Identity Changes and Arrest in Jombang
Following the murders, Dwi fled to Jombang and sought shelter at a local retreat owned by a resident named Munir, whom Dwi had met during the Hajj pilgrimage in 2025. To evade police tracking, Dwi adopted the alias “Amanullah,” Kumparan.com reported. The property owner and his wife had no prior knowledge of the double homicide, and the owner’s wife expressed protest when law enforcement officers arrived to execute the arrest.
Police eventually apprehended Dwi and transferred him to the East Java Regional Police headquarters in Surabaya. Investigators also evaluated whether other individuals assisted in concealing the crimes. AKP Muhammad Fauzi, Kanit III Subdit III Jatanras, stated that no evidence of outside accomplices has emerged so far.
Forensic Examination of the Kiln and Copycat Crime Concerns
Forensic teams are analyzing bone fragments and ash recovered from the Madiun kiln. According to ANTARA, investigators are using laboratory tests to determine whether the recovered bone material belongs to an adult or a child. Authorities also seized a mechanical shredder found at the scene to test whether the suspect attempted to grind down remaining bones after the burning process.
The brutality of the case has drawn broader academic concern regarding criminal emulation. Suryanto, a Professor of Psychology at Universitas Airlangga, noted that highly publicized mutilation cases can inadvertently inspire copycat crimes through media exposure. He noted that offenders sometimes adopt extreme methods not merely out of raw emotion, but as an instrumental strategy to eliminate forensic evidence and complicate police investigations.
As the legal proceedings continue, police maintain their focus on analyzing the physical evidence recovered from the Jalan Kunir property. Anyone dealing with the psychological fallout of violent crime within their communities can reach out to licensed mental health professionals or legal aid organizations for support.