Investigation bogged down as `crucial' evidence burnt

Investigation bogged down as `crucial' evidence burnt

JAKARTA (JP): Police said yesterday that the investigation
into Johny Sembiring's kidnap-murder was complicated because his
car, which could be used as key evidence, had been incinerated.

"The car was an important piece of evidence. Unfortunately, it
was burned along with several other, potentially important pieces
of evidence inside when police recovered it," Brig. Gen. I Ketut
Ratta, National police spokesman, told reporters yesterday.

Brig. Gen. Rusdihardjo, Chief of the Criminal Investigation
Division for the Indonesian National Police, told reporters on
Tuesday that he was optimistic that the kidnap-murder case of ex-
con Johny Sembiring would be solved soon due to adequate evidence
and the existence of a living witness.

"This is not so difficult a case so, I think, we can quickly
solve it," Rusdihardjo said.

Sembiring's car, a BMW sedan, was discovered by Tambun
district police unlocked with the doors closed and the backseat
carpeting, rear section and part of the front seat burnt at 7.30
p.m. on Friday infront of PT Polyco on Jl. Hasanuddin, Tambun,
Bekasi.

"Police have yet to find the individuals who burned the car.
But whoever they are, there is no doubt that their intention was
to destroy the evidence," said Ratta.

The sedan was still stored at the Bekasi police precinct as of
yesterday.

Ratta said that, thus far, police had based their
investigation of the case on the testimony of Sembiring's driver
Tumiran, 28, who had been "strangely" released alive by his
captors; and the victim's property which had been confiscated
from his dead body, including a gold ring, jewel-beset ring, blue
handkerchief and golden lighter.

Serviceman

Ratta refused to comment on the reports that another witness,
a serviceman, had been questioned in connection with the case.

Sembiring, 62, was a prominent ex-con who had served a series
of jail terms but promised to abandon his life of crime in the
1980s. After his 'reform,' he became a successful debt collector
and part-time evangelist to inmates.

Sembiring and Tumiran were kidnapped by a group of seven
unidentified men at around 5 p.m. on Jl. Tanah Abang II, Central
Jakarta, while they were on their way home.

Tumiran was freed by the captors Thursday evening in Jonggol
district, Bogor, while Sembiring was killed and dumped in the
nearby area of Cariu district, Bogor.

In a related development, speculation that Sembiring had been
shot dead by his kidnappers -- which surfaced in the beginning of
the case -- revived yesterday. Merdeka daily quoted Indonesia
National Police Chief Gen. Banurusman as saying that there was a
bullet wound on Sembiring's body.

"The investigation into the case is continuing. The one thing
that's certain is there was a bullet wound on the body of the
deceased," said Banurusman.

Ratta said the daily had misquoted Banurusman and reiterated
that the results of preliminary post-mortem examination showed
that there were no bullet wounds on Sembiring's body. (jsk)