Detectives go to 4 towns to catch murder suspects
Detectives go to 4 towns to catch murder suspects
JAKARTA (JP): The East Jakarta police precinct has sent detectives to at least four towns in Java in an attempt to catch two suspects in Thursday's robbery and killing of a woman.
"They were deployed today," East Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Gories Mere told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
"Based on the tips we got from their relatives, the two might be hiding in one of four cities," Mere said, refusing to name the four towns.
Mere said police have identified one of the two suspects.
The two are strongly believed to have killed and robbed former university lecturer Sylvia Wibisono, 54, on Thursday afternoon. The suspects also set the two-story house on Jl. Balai Pustaka Raya in Rawamangun on fire in an apparent effort to eliminate clues and evidence.
Sylvia was found in critical condition near the stairs of her house by firefighters. She later died at the Persahabatan hospital.
A postmortem report from the state Cipto Mangunkusumo general hospital stated the victim had been stabbed and clubbed in the head, face and breasts.
Officer Mere refused to reveal the identity of the one suspect, but said he "is a close relative of the victim."
Other police sources identified the suspects by their ages and initials, stating Nn, 29 and, Ek, also 29, were being sought for murder.
Preliminary police investigations said the two suspects might have entered the house around 2 p.m. when the victim was alone with her two maids, Ani Sulistina, 30, and Eni Rahayu, 18.
Sylvia's husband, Wibisono, 58, was still at his office in Central Jakarta when the murder occurred.
According to Eni, Nn and his friend visited the house a few weeks ago. She said they were involved in a heated argument with her employer over money.
On Thursday, the two locked the maids into a room before talking with the victim, Eni told police officers.
Eni's statement was supported by a number of eyewitnesses, who saw two men leaving the house after the fire broke out.
According to Mere, the police believe the motive behind the killing was robbery. In an effort to wipe out clues, they burned the house.
It remains unclear whether the two had prepared flammable material, such as petrol or kerosene, before entering the house. It is also unclear what they took from the house.
"We're still trying to find out what is missing from the house," Mere said.
Only the kitchen and garage caught fire before the local fire brigade arrived.
Soon after the fire was extinguished, the two housemaids ran out screaming for help.
"Bloodstains were found in the couple's bedroom, living room and kitchen," said a detective.
Another police source said Nn owed Rp 30 million to a bank where he used to work in Purwokerto, Central Java. Nn, a divorcee, used the money to build a house for his mother. He was fired last year for failing to repay the debt.
He came to Jakarta to visit the victim, a relative, the source said.
Mere said Nn is the main target of the police. Mere believes he might be hiding in the city.
"It's hard to find an unemployed man in this city of nearly 10 million people," he said. (bsr)