Hospital staffers to be questioned

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta Police will question four staff members at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital morgue regarding a severed hand which was stolen and sent to a woman in Setiabudhi subdistrict on Monday last week, an official said on Tuesday.

South Jakarta Police chief of detectives Maj. Rycko Amelza Daniel said the four were Mardiono, the head of the morgue, and staff members Suminto, Subekti and Syaifulloh.

"The four will be questioned on Thursday," Rycko said.

Mardiono, however, said that the theft could have been done by anyone.

"The renovation was going on from 6 a.m to 6 p.m., during which many people were coming and going," he told reporters on Tuesday.

He said that the body of Hendrik, from which the hand was stolen, would be buried at Pondok Ranggon cemetery in East Jakarta on Wednesday.

"The two women, who claimed to be family members, did not show up to collect his body," Mardiono said.

Mu'nim Idris of the University of Indonesia forensic division had indicated the cutting of the hand could have been done by anybody.

However, Mu'nim said morgue staff members should be held accountable for bodies admitted to the morgue. (06)