Bus hijacker thwarted

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): Passengers mobbed a 22-year-old man trying to hijack their bus in Batang on Thursday, police said yesterday.

The man, identified as Mul, was critically injured but his unidentified accomplice escaped after snatching money from a passenger.

The incident happened on a highway in Batang around midnight when the robbers wielding a broken bottle forced the driver of the Jakarta-outbound bus to stop.

Eyewitnesses said the driver, whose arm was cut in the scuffle, refused his demand. The drama ended when the passengers rushed and attacked the hijacker.

The culprit was turned in to the police in Semarang who then admitted the man to the hospital, Antara reported. (pan)