Man arrested over fatal robbery

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): A 19-year-old man was arrested Friday night an hour after he allegedly robbed and stabbed to death a man on a public bus, police said.

Tangerang Police Chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said Adi Mulyatno stole bus passenger Adi Pradana's wrist watch and stabbed him in the neck when he refused to give up his shoes.

The crime occurred on the Mayasari Bakti bus plying Ciledug- Senen route when the bus was driving along Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto.

Witnesses said the robber and the victim became involved in a heated argument when the victim refused to give up his shoes.

"The holdup man escaped after stabbing the victim, while the driver stopped the bus and took the victim to the Tangerang General Hospital. The victim died on the way to the hospital," Iman quoted the witnesses as saying.

The suspect was arrested carrying a blood-smeared knife at the Ciledug bus terminal an hour after the killing, Iman Haryatna said.

He said the bus conductor reported the hold up to police. "The bus conductor described the suspect's physical characteristic and that made it easier for police to identify him," Iman said. (27/sur)