Father arrested over baby's death

JAKARTA (JP): A man has been arrested in the Cikupa district of Tangerang, West Java, for allegedly killing his five-month-old son, police said Saturday.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said that the man he identified only as H and his unidentified wife were being questioned by Tangerang police.

The baby, Adam, was found dead Saturday afternoon, he said.

"A postmortem examination showed that the baby had been hit in the head," said Aritonang.

He said that the suspect was supposed to be taking care of the baby at the time of the incident because his wife was out at work.

Aritonang said that the wife had often told her relatives that her husband mistreated Adam.

"Relatives said the suspect often fed the baby chili or beat him," Aritonang said.

He would then tell his wife that the baby got the bruises from falling off its bed, he added.

He said the suspect faced a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail for violating Article 338 of the Criminal Code on murder if convicted. (cst)