A contestant of a KFC-sponsored eating competition chocked to death as he vied for the Rp 15 million cash prize on Friday (11/03).(JG screenshot)

Jakarta. The Jakarta police is questioning Fast Food Indonesia, the local franchisee of fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken, after the company's latest marketing stunt caused the death of a customer.

The male contestant, 45, choked to death during the early round of an eating contest – which requires its entrants to eat three pieces of fried chicken in five minutes – in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Friday (11/03).

The competition was part of Fast Food Indonesia's latest national promotion campaign that promises a grand price of Rp 5 billion ($385,000) in its final stage. The preliminary stages, like the one in Cengkareng, grants Rp 15 million to the winner.

"We are questioning witnesses from the organizer, other contestants and spectators," Jakarta Police chief detective Didik Sugiarto told the Jakarta Globe on Saturday.

Investigators have requested an autopsy of the victim's body and is working to determine if the organizer neglected the necessary safety precautions for the contests.

Still, Tulus Abadi, chairman of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation ( YLKI), said the company may have broken the law by simply holding the competition.

"It can be said that KFC breached the 1999 Consumer Protection Law, which states customers are entitled to comfort, security and safety while using any goods or services," Tulus said.

Under the rules of the event, prospective contestants were not required to buy KFC products, but had to pay an entrance fee to compete.

"Eating contests are dangerous and can cost lives," Tulus said, adding that YLKI called for the company, also known as KFC Indonesia, to halt its campaign.

The company has yet to release a statement on the matter and did not return calls from the Jakarta Globe asking for comments. The contest's website is accessible at the time of writing.

Fast Food Indonesia was founded by the late Dick Gelael, who was among Indonesia's richest men until his death in 2014. His son Ricardo now heads the company as president director.