Husband slashes wife in domestic dispute

Husband slashes wife in domestic dispute

TANGERANG (JP): An angry man severely slashed his 25-year-old
wife in the neck at their rented house on Jl. Tanah Seratus in
Sudimara Jaya, Ciledug, on Monday morning.

Police are still questioning Sarif, 30, a vegetable supplier
in Jakarta, over his motives in attacking Witarini, whom he
married about a year ago.

But the victim, who received several stitches for the 25-
centimeter wound to her neck, said her husband might have been
upset after his request to sell the sole blender in the house to
one of his friends.

The request, however, was opposed by his wife.

"We don't have any financial problems. That's why I thought we
didn't need to sell the blender," Witarini told reporters from
her bed at Tangerang General Hospital.

But the victim insisted that she could not understand the real
reason Sarif tried to end her life in such a brutal way.

"Our one-year-old marriage was a harmonious one," she
explained.

According to Witarini and neighbors, the couple woke up at
about 2 a.m. to have their sahur (morning meal prior to fasting)
in order to perform their weekly fasts on Mondays and Thursdays.

After having the meal, they returned to bed and woke up again
at 5 a.m. for the Subuh prayer.

"After the prayer, we went back to sleep again and got up at 7
a.m.," Witarini explained.

She initially attempted to take a bath as she was soon to go
to work. But she decided against it as there were too many people
waiting to use the outside bathroom, the only one available for
dwellers of the rented houses in the area.

The owner of the houses, Madani, was also waiting to use the
bathroom.

Witarini said she then decided to lie on the bed and wait.

A few minutes later, she felt that someone had sliced her neck
with a sharp weapon. Wartini said she hastily bit the shoulder of
the suspect and ran outside screaming for help with a towel
covering her neck to stop the blood.

"I saw the face of my husband and he looked evil," she
recalled.

The line of people in front of the toilet abruptly dissipated
as they rushed to the couple's house to apprehend Sarif.

Witarini has since decided to divorce her husband. (41/bsr)