22 suspects arrested in Cianjur over murder spree

22 suspects arrested in Cianjur over murder spree

JAKARTA (JP): Cianjur Police have arrested 22 suspects in
connection with a murder spree of at least 21 villagers accused
of practicing black magic in southern Cianjur, West Java, an
officer said on Monday.

Chief of the police team investigating the murders Second
Insp. Sri Widodo told The Jakarta Post by phone from Cianjur his
men had caught two other suspects, but angry locals had mobbed
them to death before the formal investigation began.

The dossiers of the 22 suspects have been submitted to the
local district prosecutors' office, Widodo said.

"Most of the suspects are local residents, ranging from jawara
(notorious hoodlums) to local community figures," he said, adding
that the suspects were arrested in a series of raids over the
past month.

Among the alleged perpetrators arrested were community figure,
57-year-old Apih Barma alias Basori bin Adhawi, and his
associates Muhayat and Lukman.

"These three are known as the players. Barma was dubbed the
leader who tried the alleged black magic practitioners in front
of the group, while the other two were the executioners," Widodo
said.

The 21 alleged sorcerers were murdered between July and
October this year in four districts, namely Cibinong, Agrabinta,
Kadu Pandak and Sindang Barang.

"Three of the victims were women, namely Mrs. Cucuk, Mrs. Ma
Eyot and Mrs. Jumsih. All of them were above 60 years old. Ma
Eyot was beheaded by the attackers," Widodo said.

He added the victims were actually innocent people who became
the scapegoats in cases of unhealed illnesses such as rashes,
allergies or liver problems. Inadequate education and health
services in the remote areas have made the people prone to such
provocation.

"Some of the victims turned out to be Muslim teachers or
simple farmers," the officer said.

Police are finding a possible link between the killings and a
similar spate of murders in Ciamis, also in West Java, last year.

"We're still probing whether there are financial backers in
the latest cases. Some of the suspects admitted to hiring people
to avenge their relatives' death," Cianjur Police chief Sr. Supt.
M. Surahmat said.

Surahmat brushed aside political motives behind the killings
and said they were purely criminal cases.

In 1998 a wave of killings of alleged black magic
practitioners took place in East and Central Java, claiming at
least 150 lives. (edt)