Hold-up victim jumps to her death

Hold-up victim jumps to her death

JAKARTA (JP): A woman attempting to escape from two armed
hold-up men on a public transport vehicle died after she jumped
from the speeding van on the Jagorawi toll road on Tuesday
evening.

The woman was later identified as Mally Samolo, 22, a high
school graduate.

Her body was spotted by an unidentified motorist, who then
informed employees of the state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa
Marga.

Some of the company's staff then rushed to the scene where
they found a cell phone number, apparently belonging to the
victim's father, in her wallet.

After the arrival of Mally's family at the site, the body was
taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central
Jakarta.

Based on preliminary information and testimony from Mally's
friend, Romy, who was with her on the public vehicle, the two
were on board the van plying the Kranggan and Cililitan routes in
East Jakarta on Tuesday evening. Suddenly, two men pointed sharp
weapons at them and asked for their belongings.

Romy, a university student, recalled that the incident took
place around 8:30 p.m. when the van was somewhere near the
Cibubur area.

Mally, sitting near the van's door, panicked and jumped from
the moving vehicle. Meanwhile, her friend Romy, decided to meet
the robbers' demand by handing over his wallet and automatic-
teller-machine card.

It is unclear whether there were other passengers inside the
van at the time.

Romy, who was later dropped off by the robbers at a site
popularly called Garuda area in Cibubur, immediately notified
Mally's family in Jatinegara about the incident.

A Jasa Marga employee quoted the father as saying that Mally
had been in the capital for about a year from her hometown in
Manado, North Sulawesi.

A similar incident took place at the busy Kampung Rambutan bus
terminal, also in East Jakarta, about three hours after the
Jagorawi incident.

This time, the victim took advantage of an opportunity to grab
a knife from one of the three robbers and stab it into the
abdomen of the crook.

After stabbing one of the robbers, Emal, 29, went to the
nearby Ciracas police precinct to report the case and hand over
the bloody knife.

Emal stated to the police that he was inside a public van
heading to the Bojong Gede area in Depok at about midnight when
three unknown men suddenly approached him and pointed two knives
and a sickle at his neck.

Outnumbered, Emal immediately submitted his wallet and watch.

When the robbers were about to get off the minivan, Emal
grabbed a knife from one of them and stabbed him.

But, he said, all of the robbers managed to get away.

The Ciracas police detectives are still probing the case. (06)