Another taxi thief beaten to death by mob

JAKARTA (JP): Angry Kembangan residents in West Jakarta savagely attacked two youths caught red-handed attempting to steal a taxi late Monday.

One of them, identified as Nanang Amanda, 20, died on the way to the hospital with severe head wounds inflicted by sharp weapons. His accomplice, Wawan Mulyono, 19, was arrested by local police.

"Both were attempting to steal a Dian taxi from its driver, Zamroni," city police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis alleged on Tuesday.

According to preliminary police investigation, the suspects, both of nearby Rawa Buaya village, first pretended to be passengers and asked Zamroni to take them to Jl. Raya Kembangan.

"It was 11:10 p.m.," officer Lubis said.

Once they reached the destination, one of the men threatened Zamroni with a machete.

"One of them then tried to take over the steering wheel but Zamroni was brave enough to shout for help, while the other suspect, who wielded the sharp weapon, was busy taking Zamroni's wristwatch off him," Lubis said.

The driver's scream alerted local residents, who swarmed to the scene to help him.

"They not only helped the victim, but also played judge of the suspects. They only stop beating the suspects after police arrived to disperse them," the officer said.

Lubis said the police highly appreciated the public's awareness of the need to curb the capital's escalating crime rate, but he warned Jakartans not to take the law into their own hands.

"So we appeal to the public to just apprehend the suspects and let the police handle them through legal procedures.

"Criminals will never learn the error of their ways unless they're brought to court and sentenced for their wrongdoings," he said.

In the early hours of the same day, dozens of people burned alive an alleged taxi thief in front of the Cikokol market in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta.

The dead suspect was identified as 35-year-old Badrawi who, with his accomplice who is still at large, attempted to steal a Prestasi taxi from driver Suhari.

Meanwhile, five men impersonating police officers cheated a motorist and made off with his Kijang van early on Monday on Jl. Tubagus Angke, also in West Jakarta.

The van's owner, Daheri, 33, of the Krendeng Tengah area in West Java told the local police that the five, who were not wearing police uniforms and did not produce ID cards, stopped him near a gas station at an intersection at about 5:30 a.m.

"After pulling over his gray Kijang van, Daheri heard one of the men shout 'Stop, we're police officers!'," Lubis quoted the victim as saying.

One of the robbers then approached Daheri, who was alone, and threatened him with a machete.

Scared, Daheri opened his door and got out of the van, which the culprits quickly got into and took over the steering wheel.

They made Daheri get back into the vehicle and they drove in the direction of Cengkareng, the officer said.

The robbers later dumped the vehicle's owner on the street. (emf)