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DNA confirms mutilated remains found on Bali beach belong to kidnapped Ukrainian

Ihor Komarov, a 28-year-old Ukrainian national, was reported abducted in mid-February while riding a motorcycle with a friend in Jimbaran

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Tourists relax at a beach in Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA
SCMP’s Asia desk
Mutilated human remains, including a severed head, that were discovered on a Bali beach last month have been identified through DNA testing as those of a Ukrainian tourist who police say was kidnapped earlier in the resort island’s south, according to Indonesian authorities.

Bali police said forensic analysis had confirmed that body parts found near Ketewel Beach in Gianyar Regency belonged to Ihor Komarov, a 28-year-old Ukrainian national who had been reported abducted in mid-February.

The remains were identified after investigators compared DNA extracted from the body parts with samples provided by the victim’s parents, Bali police spokesman Ariasandy said during a briefing in Denpasar.

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“We can therefore conclude that the body parts found in Ketewel belong to the victim who was reported kidnapped some time ago, a Ukrainian national,” Ariasandy said on Friday, as quoted by local news outlet Kumparan.

Media reports have identified Komarov as the son of a wealthy businessman from Dnipro and said his kidnappers had demanded about US$10 million from his family. Those reports were amplified by videos circulated online that appeared to show him injured and pleading for payment.

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However, Indonesian police have publicly maintained that the motive remains under investigation and have not fully confirmed the claims about his family background.

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