Police still questioning bus crash suspect<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): North Sumatra police are still questioning a man
\nthey suspect of having been the driver of a minibus that crashed
\nfatally in Jakarta last month<\/p>\n
Hornas Silitonga has been in detention at the Dairi police
\nprecinct in Dairi regency since his arrest on Monday.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday a team of North Jakarta police arrived in Dairi
\nto question Hornas, who they believe is Ramses Silitonga, the
\nregistered driver of the Metromini which crashed into the Sunter
\nriver in North Jakarta on March 6, killing 33 passengers.<\/p>\n
The driver of the bus, who was seen leaving the seen and
\nidentified at a Jakarta hospital hours later, has been on the run
\nsince.<\/p>\n
\"The team is still questioning the suspect to crosscheck all
\nthe data on him,\" Col. Hari Susanto, National Police spokesman,
\nsaid yesterday.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Wednesday the Jakarta police strongly denied
\nreports that Hornas was the fugitive driver. One of the reasons
\nbehind the denial was because his appearance does not match a
\nphotograph of Ramses in the possession of the Jakarta police.<\/p>\n
When asked whether the differences could be written off to the
\nfact that the picture of Ramses is ten years old, Hari only said
\n\"I don't know yet.\"<\/p>\n
It is believed that the Dairi police have made the same
\nmistake the Tambun police in Bekasi did, who arrested a local
\nman, tortured him until he confessed to the crime, and then where
\nforced to release him on March 26.<\/p>\n
The arrests are due partly to the inadequate information on
\nthe suspect outside of Jakarta. Until yesterday the North Sumatra
\npolice did not have all the information on Ramses.<\/p>\n
A spokesman of the North Sumatra police, Lt. Col. Leo Sukardi,
\nearlier announced that Hornas was in great shock at the time of
\nhis arrest. Leo also said that Hornas worked as a substitute
\ndriver for PT Metromini, although he does not have a driver's
\nlicense. The suspect does own a PT Metromini membership card.<\/p>\n
The Dairi police have not given up their efforts and are still
\nchecking whether Hornas, who comes from North Tapanuli, and lived
\nat Jl. Manggarai I No. 8, South Jakarta, is their man.<\/p>\n
The Dairi police claimed they made the arrest after a man, who
\nidentified himself as Simbolon, reported that Hornas was the
\nwanted driver.<\/p>\n
\"If he is not our man, it is possible that Simbolon made the
\nreport for certain reasons,\" said a source at the Dairi police
\nprecinct.<\/p>\n
Until yesterday the police had questioned 15 people in
\nconnection with Hornas's arrest. (bsr\/lem)<\/p>",
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