Inmate killed by fellow prisoner in act of revenge

JAKARTA (JP): A prisoner stabbed two other prisoners, one of them to death, at the Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta reportedly in an act of revenge on Friday afternoon, the chief warden said.

Warden Bambang Krisbanu identified the alleged attacker as Ismayu Ramadhan and the victims as Yusuf, 20, who died on the spot and Wawan Gunawan, 32, who was rushed to the emergency ward of the Kramat Jati police hospital in East Jakarta.

"It was lunchtime. Prisoners of Block H at the penitentiary were receiving their meals ... suddenly Ismayu, who is from another block, entered Block H," Bambang told reporters on Friday.

"He took out a knife he had reportedly crafted from the handle of an aluminum pot, and plunged it into the chest of Yusuf. Yusuf died instantly. He then stabbed Wawan, who immediately fell ..."

Yusuf, Bambang said, had been serving a one-year-and-eight month jail term for robbery.

A fierce brawl ensued among prison inmates after the stabbing, Bambang added.

He said that one of the armed wardens fired a shot in the air to calm the men down. But it was not effective, which forced him to contact Cempaka Putih police subprecinct and the Central Jakarta Police Headquarters for help.

A total of 24 policemen arrived and conducted a weapons sweep at the penitentiary.

Three homemade sharp weapons were confiscated.

"The stabbing could have been an act of revenge. Police said they were checking all possibilities," Bambang said.

Central Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said on Friday that he was questioning a number of witnesses over the incident.

A police source said that Ismayu had hated Yusuf and Wawan, because both were put in charge by wardens to lock the gates of the wards in the penitentiary.

"The victims reportedly used to bang the gates and speak roughly to the inmates. Ismayu hated them for it. So, he stabbed them," a source at the Central Jakarta Police told The Jakarta Post.

In March this year, Cipinang Penitentiary warden Andronicus Takasiliang was removed from his post following a riot in the prison.

One inmate was killed and several others were injured when police stormed the prison to quell the riot on March 14.

Takasiliang, reassigned as the coordinator of penitentiaries in North Sumatra, was replaced by Asep M. Firdaus, who has previously served as warden at penitentiaries in Ambon, Bekasi in West Java and Palembang in South Sumatra.

Cipinang Penitentiary guards, under the supervision of Takasiliang, faced a lot of heat from the police this February following the escape of a suspect in last September's Jakarta Stock Exchange bombing, which left at least 10 people dead. (ylt)