Drug addict admits to girl's murder

JAKARTA (JP): A drug addict has confessed to the murder of an eight-year-old girl, who was found in an empty house in the Taman Kencana housing complex in the Tegal Alur area of Kalideres in West Jakarta on Sunday night, a police officer said.

Kalideres subprecinct detectives chief Second Insp. Pattimura said on Monday that the 20-year-old male suspect, Dina, alias Burik, told investigators during interrogation that he killed Winda for her gold jewelry, which consisted of a necklace, a pair of earrings and a ring.

"The suspect initially enticed the victim to accompany him to the crime scene where he hit her with a stick on the back of the head, the face, and the neck," Pattimura told The Jakarta Post.

The officer said Burik planned to sell the jewelry, but did not say for how much.

The suspect admitted to firstly spotting Winda while watching the popular panjat pinang (climbing an oily pole) competition in their neighborhood earlier on the same day, Pattimura said.

Dina's arrest was made just a few hours after the killing thanks to a tip-off from two witnesses, who last saw him with the victim, Pattimura added.

Separately, Winda's uncle Jumri told reporters at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital that Winda's parents began to look for their small daughter in the afternoon.

Jumri said that Winda's body was located after a psychic told her parents that the girl's body could be found in the housing complex located some 300 meters from Winda's house.

"We then searched the complex with the help of our neighbors," Jumri said.

The police said that Winda's body was found around 11 p.m. in the half-built house. (07/jaw)