JP/3/SANTI

JP/3/SANTI

Police in the dark about prostitute death

JAKARTA (JP): Police are still in the dark of the death of a 27-year-old prostitute in the Kramat Tunggak, North Jakarta, red- light district.

"We have questioned the owner of the brothel and two colleagues of the victim with no significant progress, thus far," Maj. Koesmanto, who is head of the Koja police subprecinct which oversees the area, said yesterday.

Santi bin Sugimin, a migrant from Wonogiri, Central Java, was found dead in her room by her friends and the brothel's watch men at 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Santi, who was widely known as the top earner at the house of ill repute, was found laying naked under her bed. She is believed to have been strangled.

"Medical reports from the Cipto Mangunkusumo general hospital indicated that the murderer and the prostitute did not have sexual intercourse," Koesmanto said.

The brothel where Santi is operating is owned by HM Hasan, who has dozens of prostitutes.

The red-light Kramat Tunggak district has dozens of brothel houses, each owned by different people.(bsr)