Dead Saudi citizen a victim of robbery

Dead Saudi citizen a victim of robbery

JAKARTA (JP): The Saudi citizen who was found dead at a
Central Jakarta hotel last week was a victim of robbery, the
police concluded here yesterday.

Based on preliminary questioning and on-the-spot
investigation, police believe Abdul Karim al-Mubarak, 55, was
killed by people who robbed him in his room at Hotel Karya II on
Jl. Raden Saleh.

"We've learned that the Saudi tourist was a rich man and based
on the evidence found at the scene, the people who killed him
intended to acquire his cash and other valuable items," city
police spokesman Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar told reporters.

He quoted a friend of Karim's as saying that the victim was
a former prosecutor in Bahrain.

"We also found bank deposit certificates issued by the Bank of
Bahrain in his room," he added.

Latief, however, refused to go into detail about the estimated
number of robbers involved.

"We have yet to find strong indications to name any suspect
and we are currently studying the only fingerprint we found on
the telephone."

He added that the telephone had been disconnected during the
robbery.

Karim was found with three severe stab wounds on his chest at
around 11 a.m. last Friday.

According to earlier reports his body was found covered by a
blanket, while a towel had been stuffed in his mouth. Blood was
found scattered around the scene.

"When the police came, they found that almost all of the
victim's belongings were laid out messily across the table," said
the spokesman. "And the things left behind by the suspects were
mostly of little value," he said.

The police have yet to determine the amount of money stolen.

Until yesterday, officers had questioned at least 12 people,
including five hotel receptionists, two bellboys, a security
officer of the hotel, two repairmen hired by the hotel, a friend
of the victim and Karim's latest visitor at the hotel.

"We found no evidence that the victim had admitted any girl to
the room prior to or during the tragic incident," Latief said.

The hotel charges between Rp 50,000 (US$22.99) and Rp 80,000
($36.99) per day for a single room.

According to Latief, a number of Karim's relatives from Saudi
Arabia have been contacted by the Saudi Arabian embassy.

"They are scheduled to arrive here soon to take care of his
body, which is still being kept at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital," he said.

The body was first found by a hotel security officer, Ahmad,
after receptionist Sucipto asked him to take a look at Karim's
room because he had experienced difficulty passing a phone
message to the room.

After knocking on the door several times and getting no reply,
Ahmad went to the back of the room to look inside, and he saw
Karim lying with blood on his nose and a blanket covering his
body.

The police have learned that Karim was on his first visit to
Indonesia and had stayed at the hotel for six days prior to his
death.

Latief said that Karim departed from Bahrain on June 10 and
arrived here the following day. Before checking in at Hotel Karya
II, he had spent a night at Hotel Jamrud, a small hotel on Jl.
Cisadane, also in Central Jakarta. (bsr)