Cops say 'oink' to green-clad terror
Cops say 'oink' to green-clad terror
Evi Mariani and Marilin, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Depok
The Jakarta Police announced on Monday that the talk-of-the-town
kolor hijau (green underwear) creature -- believed to be a
creature that is half-man and half-pig -- does not in fact exist
and is only a rumor.
In an apparent move to curb disquiet among certain sections of
the public, the police announced a third suspect in the case --
Nurmah, 22, a housewife from Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.
She reported to Jagakarsa Police on Sunday evening that she
had been attacked by the kolor hijau who, she claimed, ripped her
T-shirt and scratched her with his claws.
Previously, Ciputat Police had charged Saripah and Rosadah,
who both reported they had been assaulted by the creature, as
suspects for making false reports and wasting police time.
Jagakarsa Police chief Comr. M. Yusuf said that Nurmah
admitted under questioning that she had been lying. She said she
had torn her own T-shirt with a razor blade. She had also used
the blade to slash her right arm seven times and her left arm
three times.
Police said that Nurmah's husband was unemployed. The family
were desperate for money, and so she had pretended to be attacked
in the hope that she would elicit public sympathy and be showered
with donations.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo told a press
briefing that the three suspects would be charged with breaching
Article 220 of the Criminal Code. If convicted, they could be
sentenced to jail terms of up to 16 months.
He also said that the police were still investigating whether
there was a "mastermind" behind the rumors. Police had warned the
public that certain individuals or groups might try to terrorize
the public as the general election approached.
On Sunday, Daryati, a resident of Beji, Depok, claimed she had
been assaulted by the kolor hijau at around 11 p.m. but she
bravely managed to fight the creature off. Although Daryati did
not report her story to the police, her tale spread like wildfire
in neighboring kampongs.
Distracted temporarily from his busway project, Governor
Sutiyoso called on Jakartans not to panic and urged them to stay
vigilant. He also urged the city police to set up a team to
investigate the case.
"If the information is valid and the evidence sufficiently
strong, I hope the police will fully investigate this case to
shed some light on the mystery," he said.
Although the police have announced that the kolor hijau does
not exist, people in some parts of Jakarta have erected yellow
bamboo sticks, and affixed lontar (palmyra palm) leaves and kelor
leaves above their doors, believing that these are capable of
countering black magic.