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)