Locals loot chickens

TANGERANG (JP): Angry locals of Babat village here vandalized and looted the chicken breeding firm PT Sari Jaya Farm (SJF) late Thursday, following the recent arrest of two residents accused of stealing 45 chickens from the farm.

Several windows were shattered in the fracas and hundreds of chickens were stolen by the angry mob.

It is reported that hundreds of residents thronged the chicken farm office at around 11 p.m. on Thursday to ask for clarification over last week's arrest of the two locals by the Legok Police, but were not received.

Instead of meeting with the farm owner, the mass were confronted by the farm's security guard, Denny, and the meeting turned into a heated debate.

The mob then raided the place, pelted it with stones and grabbed the hens and cocks from their pens, creating a loud bickering noise mixed with the shrieking of chickens in the middle of the night.

Police arrived about an hour after the incident and blockaded the farm to avoid further dispute.

"The situation in the chicken farm is relatively calm now. We have managed to persuade the people to restrain themselves and to settle the case properly," First Insp. Elisius, chief of Legok Police, said on Friday.

He said, however, that the two alleged thieves would still be prosecuted.

The losses in the incident were estimated to reach Rp 5 million, said farm owner Reddy Wijaya. (41/edt)