Oesin Bestari

Oesin Bestari (born Husein bin Umar Baftari) (c. 1926 – 14 September 1978) was an Indonesian of Arabic-descent goat butcher and goat leather trader turned robber and serial killer active around 1961 to 1964 in present day Mojokerto Regency, East Java Province. He was the first person executed by civil execution (not military execution) in post-independence Indonesia.

Early life Not much known about his early life. He was born to Umar Baftari, an Arab goat butcher, and had a brother named Alwi bin Umar Baftari a.k.a. Mamak who became his future partner-in-crime.

In 1961, he married Rafiah, a Javanese girl from Mojokerto. After his marriage, he moved to Kalimati, a village in Tarik District, Sidoarjo Regency and rented a house belonging to the Mas’ud family, another Arab. Shortly after the wedding, his father died and his mother moved to live with Oesin's family. He also rented a house at Jagalan Village, Kranggan District, Mojokerto Regency as his second home. Many of his victims were thrown into the Brantas River, or he buried on the riverbanks. At midnight before the execution, he was taken by two wardens from his cell in Kalisosok Prison and transported to Kenjeran Beach, where Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) executioners from Regional Police Command Region X (now Kepolisian Daerah Jawa Timur (Polda Jatim), East Java Regional Police) were waiting for him. and tied to the wooden execution post that stuck into the beach' sand. He requested his ustadz to look after his brother, Alwi, who at that time is imprisoned. When the public prosecutor official addressed him to be blindfolded or not, he replied to the officer with his last words Terserah bapak ("It is up to you, sir"). The officer then blindfolded him, marked his heart with the aid of a doctor, and the execution commenced. After a volley of shot released by his executioners, a bullet hit his heart and killed him on the spot.

Oesin is buried somewhere at Gubeng District, Surabaya.