Beng Seng's murder may be plotted by competitor: Police

Beng Seng's murder may be plotted by competitor: Police

JAKARTA (JP): The police said yesterday they believe that the
four masked men who killed a nightclub owner suspected of running
gambling dens in Kota and Macao were sent by the victim's
competitor in that Portuguese territory.

"On the way to the hospital, the victim whispered to his wife
and daughter the name of someone, whom we found later was a
foreigner. The man is the victim's business competitor in Macao,"
Lt. Col. Heru Susanto, chief of the North Jakarta police precinct
said yesterday.

Heru said the police are now focusing their operation on
material evidence and the four hired assassins in an attempt to
arrest the third party who plotted the killing.

The victim, identified as Nyo Beng Seng, also known as
Darmansyah Suyadi, 57, was stabbed 12 times at 2 a.m. on Friday
in the yard of his second wife's mansion at Jl. Pluit Kencana
Raya 128 in Pluit.

After slaying the man, the four, who arrived and departed in a
dark colored minibus, ran to their waiting vehicle parked in
front of the house without taking anything from the victim, such
as his Rolex watch or his Baby Benz.

Besides being widely known as the owner of the Irama Tara
cassette and video recording firm, Beng Seng also owned a number
of nightclubs, massage parlors and beauty salons. Many of his
business activities are located in Kota.

Reliable sources said Beng Seng's interests included gambling
dens.

His first wife, Anita, 56, said that Beng Seng, who had lived
with his second wife, Tuti Sulastri, 47, in Pluit for a long
time, was in the habit of playing mah-jongg all night long.

"He also operates gambling halls in Macao and has a number of
competitors in the city which we believe wanted him dead," Heru
said.

All four assailants, who are still at large, are believed to
be Jakartans.

Samurai blade

The police have also confiscated the victim's car and a pair
of black sandals belonging to Beng Seng, as well as the scabbard
for a samurai blade which was found at the scene.

While his wife's house was equipped with a remote controlled
gate and a television monitor, this security equipment had not
worked for months.

The assailants are believed to have closely followed the
victim's car as he went through the gates, which open and close
slowly.

As of yesterday, North Jakarta investigators were still
questioning the victim's driver, Saman, 45, and a security guard
at a nearby house.

"We still have nothing substantial from them, thus far, but we
still need them," Heru said, adding that neither of the two
witnesses could identify the attackers.

During earlier questioning, Saman told investigators that he
drove his employer to his second wife's house in Pluit from Jl.
Mangga Besar VIII, a business district in Kota, at about 1:30
a.m. Friday.

The driver said that Beng Seng was stabbed by the assailants
as he stepped out of the car, and that he did not realize what
was happening until he heard his employer scream for help.

"I got out of the car, embraced him for support and cried for
help from his second wife, Tuty, and their 20-year-old daughter,
Verawaty, inside the house," Saman said.

He said that on the way to the Atmajaya hospital, Beng Seng,
who is also a Kung Fu practitioner, spoke in Mandarin to Tuty and
Verawaty, a language he does not understand.

The businessman died 15 minutes later at the hospital and his
corpse will be buried in Bogor tomorrow.

According to Adnan, 30, Beng Seng's son from Anita, their
families have never been involved in any disputes involving money
or business. (bsr)