John Refra (September 10, 1969), popularly known as John Kei, is an Indonesian gangster of Sember origin. John Kei has operated a debt collection business through his organization ''Angkatan Muda Kei'' (Kei Youth Force, AMKEI). His debt collection ring has become one of the largest gang organizations in Jakarta, together with

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

, Basri Sangaji, and Thalib Makarim's gangs. John Kei has been arrested multiple times, including in 2004 for alleged involvement in the murder of Basri Sangaji, and 2012 for involvement in the murder of Tan Harry Tantono, the director of Sanex Stell Mandiri. After the incident, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was paroled in 2019 but arrested again in 2020 for a shooting of his relative Nus Kei. John Kei is sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Jakarta" because of his mafia-style business practice and repeatedly dodged prosecution.Rekam Jejak John Kei yang Disebut sebagai "Godfather Jakarta"
''Kompas''. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

Biography

John Refra was born in

Kei islands The Kai Islands (also Kei Islands) of Indonesia are a group of islands in the southeastern part of the Maluku Islands, located in the province of Maluku. The Moluccas have been known as the Spice Islands due to regionally specific plants such ...

of Southeast Maluku. His nickname "John Kei" refers to his hometown. He immigrated to Jakarta in 1991 and founded the organization AMKEI in 2000.John Refra Kei
''Merdeka''. Retrieved March 29, 2021. AMKEI grew into a major debt collecting ring and competed with debt collectors of fellow

Ambonese The Ambonese, also known as South Moluccans, are an Indonesian ethnic group of mixed Austronesian and Melanesian origin. They are majority Christians followed by Muslims. The Ambonese are from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group east of Sula ...

gangster Basri Sangaji from

North Maluku North Maluku ( id, Maluku Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. ...

.John Kei: Kronologi Penangkapan dan Riwayat Kebrutalannya
''tirto.id''. Retrieved March 29, 2021. At the height of their rivalry, two gangs clashed when Basri's clan was serving as security at a disco in

West Jakarta West Jakarta ( bew, Jakarte Bekulon; id, Jakarta Barat) is one of the five Cities of Indonesia, administrative cities of the Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. West Jakarta is not Self-governance, self-governed and does not hav ...

. Two of his men were killed and the case was tried at the West Jakarta District Court. During the trial, another clash broke out between the two gangs, which resulted in the killing of John Kei's older brothers, Walterus Refra Kei and Semmy Kei. John Kei allegedly ordered a hit on Basri Sangaji as retaliation. Basri Sangaji was murdered at the Hotel Kebayoran Inn on October 12, 2004. John Kei's gang members were suspected to be involved in the homicide and eight of them were named suspects, and John Kei was arrested by the

Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police The Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Region of the Indonesian National Police ( id, Kepolisian Negara Republik Indonesia Daerah Metropolitan Jakarta Raya), known locally as Polda Metro Jaya is the regional level of the Indonesian National Police whi ...

(Polda Metro Jaya). However, he was released due to the lack of evidence. John Kei's clan came out dominant in the aftermath of this rivalry due to Basri's downfall. John Kei was arrested again in 2008 by the Special Anti-terror Detachment in Ohoijang Village,

Tual Tual (Indonesian: ''Kota Tual'') is a city in Maluku (province), Maluku Province of Indonesia located within the Kei Islands. In 2007, it was separated from the rest of the Kei Islands, which form the Southeast Maluku Regency to form City status in ...

, Maluku, on August 11, 2008. He was suspected of torturing and cutting off the fingers of Charles Refra and Jemry Refra, who are John Kei's brothers. John Kei was tried at the Surabaya District Court on March 3, 2009. The Surabaya District Court sentenced John Kei to eight months in prison. In 2010, John Kei's group got involved in a riot against the Flores Ende group led by Thalib Makarim. It was triggered by an argument between one of Kei's members and the guards of the Blowfish Kitchen & Bar nightclub in

South Jakarta South Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Selatan; bew, Jakarte Beludik ), colloquially known as ''Jaksel'', is one of the five administrative cities which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. South Jakarta is not self-governed and does not h ...

. Four people from the Flores Ende group were then tried at the South Jakarta District Court for allegedly killing two people from the Kei group. On February 17, 2012, John Kei was arrested by Polda Metro Jaya at the C'One Hotel, Pulomas,

East Jakarta ) in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), Jatinegara railway station and Museum of Transportation at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. , image_seal = Lambang Kota Jakarta Timur.png , motto = , image_map ...

. He was accused of involvement in the premeditated murder of Tan Harry Tantono, a steel smelter who allegedly has relations with several politicians. Tantono was considered to be murdered on January 26, 2012, and found dead with 32 stab wounds in room 2701 at the Swiss-Bell Hotel. John Kei was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the end of 2012. On July 29, 2013, the Supreme Court increased John's sentence to 16 years. He was then transferred from the Salemba Prison to the Nusakambangan Prison. John was paroled on December 26, 2019; he was supposed to be jailed until 2028 but got a remission for 36 months and 30 days so he will be completely free in March 2025. On June 22, 2020, John Kei was arrested by the General Criminal Directorate of Polda Metro Jaya, Tangerang City Police, and Bekasi City Police, on suspicion of assault and shooting of Nus Kei, a relative of John Kei, in

Tangerang City Tangerang ( Sundanese: , ) is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the western border of Jakarta, it is the third largest urban centre in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi; the sixth largest city p ...

. The shooting was considered to be stemmed from the land issues and distribution of money. The police raided the house in

Bekasi Bekasi (, su, ) is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.the city of planet Bekasi is his nickname.It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census by Statistics ...

which was suspected to be the headquarters of the John Kei group. 25 people, including John, were arrested. After the case was developed, five other members were also arrested.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kei, John Living people Indonesian Christians People from Maluku Islands Indonesian criminals 21st-century criminals 1969 births