Wife Held Over British Man's Murder In Bali

The wife of a British businessman found with his throat slashed and dumped in a Bali rice field has admitted ordering his murder, police have said.

Julaikah Noor Ellis, 45, was arrested on Tuesday night after reporting the disappearance of her 60-year-old husband Robert earlier in the day.

His body was found by a farmer in a ditch in the Bangdun region of the Indonesian island.

Mr Ellis' arms and legs were tied up and his body was wrapped in plastic. There were deep gashes in his neck.

Badung police chief Komang Suartana said marital problems and money were among the possible motives for the murder.

He told Australia's Channel Nine: "We have named suspects - one of killers called Ariel and (the) victim's wife who has (ordered) and (planned) to kill the victim.

"Based on the victim's wife's confession, she wanted to take over victim's wealth."

He added: "She says she was hurt by the victim. There were many factors, one of them that her husband was frequently cheating on her."

Mr Suartana claimed Noor Ellis, an Indonesian citizen, was at home at the couple's luxury villa when the killer she had hired slashed her husband's throat in the kitchen.

A man accused of being the killer was arrested in Padangbai, a port in east Bali, where he was allegedly trying to flee to Lombok island.

Two maids were also in custody, while police are still hunting a further four suspects.

Police initially said Mr Ellis was an Australian citizen, but subsequently said he was a British passport holder who had lived in Australia for many years.

"We are coming to terms with this tragedy only very slowly," said Ross Taylor, the president of the Perth-based Indonesia Institute and who said he had known the couple for years.

Mr Taylor said dual national Mr Ellis was a successful businessman who had lived in Indonesia for many years and was well liked.

He said he had been looking at acquiring a fish processing business in Sulawesi and owned a luxury villa in the Balinese seaside district of Sanur where he had settled for the past few years.

Flowers arrived at the villa on Tuesday afternoon from friends paying their respects.