Executive shot dead in broad daylight

Executive shot dead in broad daylight

JAKARTA (JP): A Jakarta business executive was shot point blank in the head yesterday while driving his car along busy Jl. Suprapto in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta.

Police apprehended the suspect within hours.

The victim was identified as 58-year-old Lukman Ilyas, a finance manager at PT Intermitra in the Cempaka Putih area.

Jakarta Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna told The Jakarta Post last night that the suspect was arrested with the help of information gathered from witnesses.

He did not say where and how the suspect, identified as a 28- year old employee of the same company, was arrested.

The suspect at first told investigators that his motive was money, but he later said it was all over a girlfriend, according to Iman.

Robbery had earlier been ruled out given that the victim's wallet and valuables were still in the car.

One witness said the killer was a passenger in the car, and had walked away and hailed a cab. The victim was found at the wheel of a black Volvo 960.

The car, which was coming from the direction of Pulogadung, hit the sidewalk while screeching to a stop, the witness told police.

Forensic experts at the University of Indonesia who conducted the autopsy said the victim was shot in the left side of the head. They estimate the gun was fired from about 30 cm away.

They couldn't identify the weapon yet, but police sources believe it was a small-caliber revolver.

The shooting, which occurred in front of the Coca Cola plant just after 2:00 p.m., created a massive traffic jam lasting more than two hours as police cars, an ambulance and a huge crowd were drawn to the scene.

Staff at the Jakarta Islamic Hospital said the congestion delayed the arrival of some of their emergency patients.

An employee of the company said Lukman, who lived in nearby Kelapa Gading, had attended a year-end evaluation meeting at the office earlier Saturday morning. (05/bsr/mds/rms)