World Of Secrets - Catching My Teacher: 4. Powerful enemies

Episode Date: October 12, 2026

It feels like Abah and the school has won. And they have lost. Yusron is torn between supporting Zia and the promise he made to his mum. But then they meet someone who knows exactly what they’re going through — because it happened to her. And now some crucial new information has come to light.This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzxVoice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Kartika Jahja, Astudestra Ajengrastri. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Your sales order says one thing. Your inventory says another. Your spreadsheet says, good luck. Odo brings your business together on a single platform, from sales and accounting to inventory and marketing. Visit Odo.com to book a demo. It's ODb-O.com.

The Signal Awards just announced finalists for the best podcasts of 2026. Now it's your turn. From September 29th to October 15th, you decide your favorite shows, hosts, and more in the listeners' choice awards. Visit vote.cignellaward.com to see finalists in categories like most innovative audio experience. Make your picks at vote.orgnaward.com and tell a friend. Don't wait. Sukma is back in Umba's living room. His wife, Umi, is standing beside him. Also in the room are two police officers and a lawyer, representing. NWDI.

On the table in front of them is a document. They all want Sukma to sign it. But one of the police officers told me to read it, to read it first. But the others were just like, just sign and go on, just do it.

I didn't know who to listen to. Umi was saying, please, child, help us. Just sign it. Sign it, please. So I read it Then I look at Abba The statement says Abba only ever acted like a teacher

Nothing happened And that the allegations of sexual abuse are lies Slander I looked at Umi and thought You are Allah I told you I told you everything So why are you doing this

Abba looked at the ground the whole time. I stared at him for ages. Umi was like, come on, my child. I was forced to sign. A few days later, at lunchtime, Abba calls her over. He said, Sukma, you are safe now, my child. There are no more police, nor reporters searching for you. You can live a peaceful life now after you,

signed that document. So my child, just focus on your studies. I didn't say anything. In my heart, I was thinking, why would the police be searching for me when he's the one who did it? But I didn't say anything. I just said, yes, Abba.

Yes, Abba. Yes, father. Here and obey. and a bay. That's what they were taught. This is World of Secrets, Season 13 from the BBC World Service. Catching my teacher. I'm Rebecca Hinshki.

Episode 4, powerful enemies. Inside a house on a quiet residential street in Jombang East Java. four women sit on a woven pandanus mat. It's Ramadan, and they're taking turns reciting the Quran. In the corner of the room is Goringan, fried tofu and bananas and sweet tea, ready for the breaking of the fast. Then suddenly, six men burst through the front door,

coming straight for one of the women. So one of them yelled at me? Said I didn't have the right to ruin my teacher's reputation. And if I dared continue, there would be consequences. They would report me for defamation. I told them, go ahead and report me. I'm not afraid. And that's when they became really angry.

They grabbed me. They started banging my head against the wall over and over. She cries out to her friends. Record this. But they just froze. They did nothing. I wanted evidence, but nobody helped. And eventually my neighbor ordered them to leave.

One of the attackers threatened me. I might be safe now, he said, but I should be careful. I won't be safe at night. Ayu Masruro had collected testimony about sexual abuse at her Islamic boarding school, Siddiquia. And she helped her friend, Ira Pusbita Sari report her rape to the police. There were many similar incidents of intimidation.

My friends and I, we had to effectively disappear, move around for security reasons. It takes years, three separate police reports, before Becky, the son of their headmaster, is charged with rape and sexual abuse. It's July, 2022. At the Siddiquia Islamic boarding school, hundreds of students and followers

gather behind the school's green iron gates. A woman with a loudspeaker addresses the crowd. We've come to defend the school we love. Are you ready? Ready, they cry. Near the entrance, rows of men stand shoulder to shoulder. Fist raised. They chant that they're prepared to defend the school with body and soul.

Outside the gates are hundreds of police officers in black riot helmets. Their shields and batons ready. They're here to arrest Bikki. But his supporters are not letting them in. Across Indonesia, millions are watching the standoff live, including Yusron, who just graduated. This was eight months before he knew anything about Abba's abuse. When I saw the news, my first thought was, is this actually true?

Like, a lot of people I thought, maybe he's being framed. Maybe it's all lies. I also remembered thinking how powerful he must be if it takes this many police to deal with him. Finally, a senior officer manages to enter the compound to negotiate with Becky's father. A respected religious leader, a man with a woman with a woman with authority over the school and an ear of many politicians.

With the camera rolling, the father who sits in a wheelchair tells the officer, I will bring him in myself later. The officer bows to him. It's very clear who has the power. Hours pass. Nothing happens. Then as night falls, reporters scramble to update their viewers. At 1130 that night, Becky surrendered to the police and was detained at the Class I Surabaya Detention Center.

Hundreds of supporters who prevented Becky's arrest were also arrested by the police. It has taken nearly a thousand officers and a 15-hour siege to arrest him and a long legal case before IU and ERA testify in court. I was questioned for ages. ask this really probing questions, very painful, piercing questions. I was asked, how old were you at the time? I said, I wasn't even 15 years old. What was done to you? I told them everything.

I was detained, repeatedly raped, beaten, and forced to have a threesome to satisfy Baku's demands. I told the court everything. The prosecution calls for the maximum penalty of 16 years, arguing that he had raped and abused a number of female students over a period of years. I couldn't be alone on the day of the verdict. I went to a friend's home because I was afraid.

I was afraid I wouldn't be strong enough to hear it. alias Bechi, which is the sonbang here today, me chalensitang, puttussan in front of penadilla in the country Surabaya. They watch in shock as the court finds him

not guilty of rape. Only guilty of the lesser charge of sexual assault. He's sentenced to seven years in prison. But at least we had the small victory. The court found that we were telling the truth, we weren't liars. We weren't motivated by a desire

to destroy Siddiquia boarding school. We told the truth, presented the facts, and we gave the court so much evidence. After the verdict, Ayu sets up a group called Islamic boarding school students against sexual violence and starts sharing her story on social media. Well, the idea wasn't originally mine. It came from a friend who told me not to stay silent,

not to become another victim. She'd read more about human rights, she understood things that I didn't at the time. She told me, if something like this happens, you have to fight. For over a year, Yusran hasn't looked at his black book with all the allegations about Abba, about what Zia and Subma and the others say he did to them. He doesn't open the seven-page document

with the details, the photos. But sometimes in his college dorm in Jakarta, he puts on his headphones. Sometimes when I listen to that point to that point, almost out of self-pity. It just feels unbelievable. Like, how could someone be so certain that he had already been forgiven? If you really listen to the recording, he generally sounds convinced. almost like he has a guarantee from Allah.

That's why sometimes I listen and laugh. But that's all he does. He keeps his promise to his mum. The student detective group is quiet. But Zia and Yusron are getting closer. I could see she was really struggling. I could see that even the small problems that normally wouldn't be a big deal would trigger her.

And she would end up blaming herself over and over again. She'd say things like, why do I keep thinking about what Abba did? She grew up without a dad, without a father's affection. Then she goes to a boarding school and finds a father figure in Abba. And then he does what he did. She always tried to stay strong to keep herself busy. But when things got difficult, she would sometimes say things like, why don't I just die?

There were definitely moments like that when she was completely exhausted. It really felt like I failed her, really failed her. Yuson is torn between supporting Zia and the promise he made to his mum and it feels like Abba and the school has won and they've lost.

We had no proper support system. No organized team, no strategy for who to contact. Everything suddenly exploded before we were already. So when someone tells him about Ayyumasruro, her legal battle, her network, her social posts, is just what he's been looking for. And he immediately shares her Instagram page with Zia. I thought she was really impressive. Like, oh, this girl is amazing.

She managed to build an organization to help other people too. Like to help people handle these kind of cases. She was really strong. I felt proud of Kayu. I'm so proud of her. Honestly, she's really cool, really inspiring. Like, if Ayu could do it, why couldn't I? On December the 24th, 2004, Zia posts this on Instagram.

For all female students who have become victims of sexual abuse or any other kind of violence, they should have the courage to speak up. I knew most of my followers were Pondok kids. Students from Islamic boarding schools. And in a matter of minutes, she gets a private message. She didn't really want to open up to me first. So I told her I was also a victim, you know. I told her, if you want to talk, just call me, it's okay, just relax.

Turns out, she was actually my junior at Abu Barokat. Her name was Ratna. And she was also a victim of Abba. She was younger than me. Younger, can you imagine? Just a kid, really. I couldn't believe it. I kept thinking, how could she also be a victim?

him. When they speak for the first time, Zia records it. She learns Rattna's father was close to Abba, so they would often meet, and that's how it started. I was really shocked. It made me realise Abba hadn't changed at all. He was repeating what he did to me. When Zia gets off the phone, she immediately calls Yusron.

Abba hasn't repented. She's heard he's still abusing students. Students. Usron is furious. A year had passed. Abba hadn't stopped, and neither would they. Your sales order says one thing. Your inventory says another. Your spreadsheet says, good luck. Odu brings your business together on a single platform, from sales and accounting to inventory and marketing. Visit Odu.com to book a demo. It's O'Dbolo.com. just announced finalists for the best podcasts of 2026. Now it's your turn. From September 29th to October 15th, you decide your favorite shows, hosts, and more in the listeners' choice awards.

Visit vote.org.com to see finalists in categories like most innovative audio experience. Make your picks at vote.com and tell a friend. Don't wait. At a mosque, around 10 minutes walk from the boarding school, Yusron is on the lookout, peering around the corner scanning the car park. We couldn't let anyone from school see us, so we agreed to meet there. Sukma is now a senior and has more freedom to come and go, so she sneaks Rutner out. Then Yusron takes them somewhere, he thinks is safe enough to talk. They sit in the dark, on the side of the road on plastic chairs from a food store that's closed. for the day. The only light comes from passing motorbikes and cars.

Well, the idea was for it to feel kind of like an interview. I'd ask the question, guide them through what happened, but I quickly realized they weren't really comfortable opening up if I was there with them, especially when it came to talking about what Abba had done to Sukma. It was too sensitive. So at that point, I thought, okay, need to change my strategy. The important thing was to make sure that there was a recording of them clearly saying they were doing this without any pressure. They were doing it willingly. Slowly, at first hesitantly,

Ratna tells Sukma what Abba said to her. Child, whatever happens between us, don't tell your friends. Okay. Otherwise, they might think we're dating. That's what he said to me. He also said, remember you promised to Abba. Don't tell anyone. But now she is.

And Sukma listens. They talk for half an hour. I guess you thought you were the last victim. But suddenly now, there's me. And now I keep thinking, maybe I'll be the last one. Well, you don't know, do we? We don't know, do we? Yusron, we're stopping the recording now, Yves Ratna.

A year after being forced into silence, the student detectives are back in action. But this time will be different. This time, instead of keeping it inside the institution, they reach out to IU. The woman who helped jail a powerful abuser. And Ayu's advice is simple.

Get a lawyer. And she hooks them up with one they can trust. Sukma's case was the strongest one. We believed her case was the right one to report to the police. We were worried about whether she was mentally ready for it. We didn't want a situation where we filed the police report, but then emotionally she couldn't handle the pressure. That's why we really went through all the risk involved with her.

We'd heard from Ayu about other cases where people had fought so hard, but then in the end the main person became overwhelmed, and withdrew the report. And once that happens, everything can collapse. So yeah, the fear was definitely there. But we saw how determined she was. She herself kept saying that she was ready. While doing this investigation, we heard rumors that Beki,

the headmaster's son and teacher, who IU's friend Ira says repeatedly raped her has been released early from jail. He shouldn't be out. There's been no announcement, no official confirmation. But people are whispering that he's back. So we sent a reporter undercover to a prayer event at the family's home.

Hello, Rebecca, and I am still shaking while recording this. My heart is racing so fast. I was there. I saw him twice today. First, early this morning for the Eid prayer, he arrived in a purple car. He got out and stood there, waving for his father. He was wearing a mask, a long rope and a brown cap. He looked very hidden, very careful.

But then, at the open house, it was different. hundred of people was there and we all had to move on our knee crawling on the floor just to reach him he was seething and smiling he was wearing a pink shirt no mask i could see the mall under his left eye very clearly he asked where are you from i just said surabaya and keep moving Immediately, after the handsick, I had to ride to the car to live. We show our undercover footage to IU and ERA. Becky, who should be in prison, is smiling, laughing and greeting his followers. So, it's true, he's really out of jail.

I can't accept that because he hasn't even served his sentence. But now he's free. It's like nothing ever happened. He feels as if he has won and I've lost. I think it's really important that the world knows this, knows that he's out. It makes a complete mockery of the law. If he's really bebas, it's like it's

like it's a kind of a humane-hook-b-b-bent-hung-bent. Ira has moved away and now has a family of her own. But IU is still living close to the school. He hates me. His supporters have threatened to kill me many times. I will never feel safe in Jombang. I don't feel safe in Indonesia. So she's getting out.

She just got a scholarship to study abroad. Yusron is also getting ready to leave Indonesia. He's been saving and now has enough to go to Cairo. to study and to be with Zia. But he's worried about who he's leaving behind. Under the mango tree at his parents' house, he lays out chairs and snacks. He's asked a few close male friends over

to see if they can support Sukma and the others while he's away. But out of the four people there that night, one later said they weren't ready. Then another dropped out. In the end, none of them were prepared. So he tries one more, an old school friend called Ali. And he said, okay, let's go. He was all in.

Sukma will go to the police, Ali will be around to support her. They will keep it quiet. No one at the school must know. They believe they have a solid plan. A lawyer, a network, a sense of control. I heard someone say, One, two, three. And then suddenly I heard people yelling,

you hypocrite, you're disgusting, how dare you? I was so shocked. How did they find out? That's next time on World of Secrets. This has been episode four of five of season 13 of World of Secrets, catching my teacher from the BBC World Service. When we asked why Becky was out of jail, Indonesia's Ministry for Immigration and Corrections

said he was given early parole due to legal sentence reductions. We put all the allegations to Biki, his mother and the school. They did not respond. Zia is voiced by Prili Latukon Siklal. Sukma is played by Adelina Leceberi. Ayu is by Kartika Yahya. Ratna by Ardilawijan. and Ira by Astu Destra Ajeng Rastri.

World of Secrets, Catching My Teacher, is written and produced by Rebecca Hensky and me and Dang Nurdin. Sound recordings by Duiki Marta. The sound design and mix is by Andy Fell. Original music by Alfiref. And the executive producer is Neil McCarthy. It was a BBCI investigation for the BBC World Service. Thanks for listening.

Thank you, I've seen. to see finalists in categories like most innovative audio experience. Make your picks at vote.signalward.com and tell a friend. Don't wait.