Friends say Sumarsana kind-hearted, religious

JAKARTA (JP): Coworkers of a murder victim whose dismembered body was found on Tuesday said they were shocked and could not believe that a good person like Sumarsana had met his death in such a tragic way.

Workers at PT Lion Star, a plastic household factory where the deceased used to work, said on Thursday they could not imagine the cold-blooded killing of Sumarsana, who was known to them as a kind-hearted and religious person.

The victim -- also called Arjuna, a gallant knight in Mahabharata epic, and known for his perseverance and discipline among his fellow workers -- was a quality control supervisor. He started working at the factory in 1993 as a production supervisor.

"In all these years, Sumarsana never had any conflicts with his fellow workers," said Frans, one of the victim's friends at the factory.

Another factory worker, Siti Aisyah, said the last time she saw Sumarsana alive was last Sunday during the early shift. At that time, Sumarsana looked embarrassed after writing a personal letter to someone she could not identify. Sumarsana later left the factory with his friend Abdul Rohman, who is currently being interrogated by the police.

According to a close friend of Sumarsana, Umi, the victim had no financial problems and had planned to get married next year. His fiancee is currently studying at the Jakarta Teachers Training Institute.(04)