Dead robber identified

JAKARTA (JP): Officials at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue have identified the body of an alleged robber on Wednesday who was hit by a passing car on the Jagorawi tollroad on Monday evening after escaping from police.

The deceased was 21-year-old Sondang Panjaitan, a resident of Jl Merdeka II in Ciracas subdistrict, East Jakarta.

Chief of the Jagorawi highway police patrol First Insp. Dommy Pahneal said Sondang and his four colleagues got into a public minivan serving the Kranggan-Kampung Rambutan route at the Cibubur traffic circle on Monday evening.

"But, some 500 meters before the minivan reached the Cibubur toll gate, the five men held up the passengers with knives and managed to rob them of cash and valuables," he said.

Dommy said two patrolling police officers were suspicious after seeing the passengers, who looked scared, and ordered the driver, Ramlan Efendi, to stop.

"Ramlan sped up. We managed to arrest him, but lost the five men, including Sondang," he said.

Police took a knife from Sondang's body, who was found dead near the tollroad.

Sondang's mother Marsaulina BR Pasaribu, a coffee vendor at the Kampung Rambutan bus terminal said Sondang had left home two months ago and that she did not know her son was hit by a car after robbing minivan passengers.

Sondang's body was buried at the Pondok Rangon cemetery in East Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon. (01)