To many Indonesians, playing a prank on friends who are celebrating their birthday is a tradition. But these pranks often far overstep the line – for example photos of a crying girl who was tied to a post and egged by her friends recently went viral on social media. But an absolutely tragic event that took place on Monday shows that, at their very worst, these pranks can turn out to be deadly.
A young man named Sandy became the latest casualty of a birthday prank gone wrong when he celebrated turning 21 on Monday by playing futsal with his friends in South Tangerang. When the clock struck midnight, his friends decided to play a prank on him by tying him up to an electric pole before splashing him with a bucket of water.
“The victim looked like he had seizures when he was tied to the electric pole and splashed with water,” said Jakarta Metro Police Spokesman Awi Setiyono, as quoted by Tempo yesterday.
A security guard at the futsal facility then shut down the building’s power supply and brought Sandy down from the electric pole. Sadly, Sandy was pronounced dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital.
Authorities believe that Sandy died from electrocution. However, the police have not yet identified Sandy’s six friends as criminal suspects as they said they first had to determine whether or not there was any deliberate intent on their part for Sandy’s death or if it was an accident.
According to the South Tangerang Police, Sandy planned to marry his girlfriend this October.
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