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)