WARNING: Graphic and distressing details
A Bali tourist has been brutally murdered in the street by two male “assassins” while his girlfriend was forced to watch.
Rene Pouw, 49, was visiting the idyllic Indonesian spot with his partner when two men on a motorbike approached them at 10pm on March 23.
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The pair were just outside their villa in Kerobokan when the men, who were sharing a motorbike and both carrying knives, began a vicious attack.
The 30-year-old woman who is only being identified as PI, told local police the Mr Pouw had tried to defend himself, but was left with wounds all over his body, including his head, neck, shoulder, lower thighs, hands and arms.
She said one of the men was wearing a black and green jacket that is typically worn by delivery drivers in Indonesia. After attacking Mr Pouw, who is a Dutch national, that man in the jacket chased PI down the street holding the knife covered in his blood, news.com.au reported.
Ketut Agus Pasek Sudina, the local police commissioner, said PI, an Indonesian national, was forced to hide.
“The victim’s girlfriend hid in a dark area in front of villa number four because she had been targeted by the perpetrator wearing the ojol jacket,” he said.
“(Only) after feeling safe and seeing the perpetrators fleeing towards the main road, (did) she dared to come out.”
A second witness, identified as KPTAP, told police he heard screams before spotting the “assassins”.
He saw the two men fleeing the horrific scene on a black Honda Vario and recalled the passenger was holding a long knife, which some local media reported was a samurai sword.
It is unclear who alerted authorities to the incident, but Mr Pouw was taken to hospital by ambulance.
On the journey, he lost consciousness, and when he arrived at the hospital, he was tragically declared dead as a result of severe blood loss.
Mr Pouw’s body is currently being prepared for a forensic autopsy as police investigate his death, which is the latest in a string of suspected gang-related killings.
Nola Margaret Gunawan, a forensic medicine specialist, said so far she has only performed an external examination of Mr Pouw’s body.
“Most of the wounds are large in size and are mostly in the upper body and head,” Dr Gunawan said.
Having worked as a coroner in Bali for the past seven years, Dr Gunawan said there has been a significant increase in violent murders.
“From the first day I started working in Bali until the end of 2024, I performed an autopsy on one murder victim,” Dr Gunawan said.
“But in the first six months of 2025, I received one murder victim every month, and that was only when I was on duty,” she said, adding, “This is the second murder victim I have received this year, and we’re still in March.”
Police said they are still working to identify a motive for the attack and revealed none of Mr Pouw’s belongings were stolen.
Dutch media have speculated that Mr Pouw is a man who is “on the run” from authorities in relation to drug offences.
The Hague’s foreign affairs ministry said they are aware of Mr Pouw’s death, but will not confirm if he is the same person who is “known in the underworld”.
