Angry villagers set of fire suspected motorcycle thief

Angry villagers set of fire suspected motorcycle thief

JAKARTA (JP): An alleged motorcycle thief was mobbed and
burned alive on Wednesday evening by dozens of people at Cibening
village in Bekasi after he was apparently caught attempting to
steal the bike from a parking lot.

Police quoted witnesses as saying that Suhardoyo, 29, a
resident of Pekayon in Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, was first
spotted parking an RX King motorcycle at the place at around 9:30
p.m.

Police have not identified the owner of this motorcycle.

"After he got a parking ticket, he just left this motorcycle
and picked another one, an Astrea Grand motorbike, probably using
a fake key," city police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said on
Thursday.

One of the parking attendants, Hadi S., saw the incident and
shouted "thief" several times, alerting many people in the area,
including dozens of ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers who were
waiting for passengers nearby.

"They rushed to the site to catch the man," officer Lubis
said.

Suhardoyo was then beaten by the mob before being set alight
and burned alive.

It is unclear who poured gasoline on the man's body and lit
the fire, the officer added.

Police arrived later but the man was already dead.

Lubis said city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman had
repeatedly asked public not to take the law into their own hands.

"Police understand how the public has been annoyed by the
escalating crime rate, but taking the law into their own hands is
also a violation of the law," he said.

On Monday, dozens of people and traders burned alive an
alleged taxi thief in front of the Cikokol market in Tangerang on
the outskirts of Jakarta.

The victim was identified as 35-year-old Badrawi who
reportedly, with another man who was not caught, attempted to
steal a Prestasi taxi from driver Suhari. (emf)