A 45-year-old Indonesian man allegedly killed his 60-year-old neighbour, Asgim Irianto, after being repeatedly asked why he wasn’t married. The incident took place in South Tapanuli regency, located in North Sumatra, on July 29, the Straits Times reported. 

According to Assistant Police Commissioner Maria Marpaung, the victim of the fatal attack was identified as Asgim Irianto, a 60-year-old retired civil servant. The attacker, Parlindungan Siregar, was reportedly hurt and annoyed by the victim’s persistent questioning about his marital status.

According to the statement of the victim’s wife, Siregar arrived at the victim’s home on July 29, wielding a piece of wood and attacked him without warning. Mr Irianto attempted to escape by running out into the street. However, Siregar pursued him, catching up and delivering a fatal blow to the head. Even though he fell to the ground, Siregar continued to beat him mercilessly.

Fortunately, residents intervened, stopped the assault, and rushed Mr Irianto to the hospital. However, he succumbed to the injuries and died before reaching the hospital. 

The police promptly arrested Siregar shortly thereafter. The investigation is ongoing, with the motive reportedly linked to Siregar’s frustration over the elderly man’s repeated inquiries about his marital status.

“He was determined to beat Mr Asgim to death because of the frequent taunts about his unmarried life,” AKP Maria stated.

According to reports from Detik Jogja, the fatal attack was not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a history of tensions between the two neighbours. Before the deadly assault, the duo had reportedly engaged in heated arguments over their chickens wandering into each other’s coops.

In a similar incident, an Indonesian man was arrested for allegedly stabbing his friend to death after an argument over the classic riddle, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” According to the Independent, the incident occurred on July 24 in Southeast Sulawesi province’s Muna Regency, when the suspect, identified as DR, invited Kadir Markus for a drink. After a few rounds of alcoholic drinks, DR asked Mr Markus to answer a riddle for him.

As the conversation turned into a heated debate, Mr Markus tried to distance himself from the argument, refusing to engage further. Mr Markus decided to go back to his home, but DR grabbed a dagger and chased him on his bike and then on foot before attacking him multiple times.