Man detained for stabbing his neighbor

JAKARTA (JP): A 40-year-old scavenger was fatally stabbed by two men after breaking up a minor argument involving the suspects' younger brother in Central Jakarta yesterday afternoon.

According to the victim's wife, Eni, Sutrisno was stabbed several times in the back and neck while reading used comics and newspapers in their shanty near the railway track near Pasar Gaplok in Tanah Tinggi.

"Fachrudin, alias Dower, and his elder brother, Sunarto, stabbed him. They killed him in front of me," the 35-year-old Eni said hysterically.

"They just came into our home and directly approached my husband.

"They then stabbed him with their sharp weapons several times from behind so my husband could not do anything to defend himself," said Eni.

She said she witnessed the killing of her husband from outside their home.

According to Eni, earlier in the day her husband broke up an argument in the area between Ari, who is the younger brother of the two suspects, and Sutrisno's nephew, Nurdin.

The argument began when Nurdin told Ari, 13, who is younger than him, to stop mocking him, said Eni.

Sutrisno intervened and made the two teenagers stop arguing.

Sutrisno's effort was also seen by Fachrudin and Sunarto, said Eni.

From there, Sutrisno and his wife went to the nearby Senen market to collect trash, to be used or sold, and returned home at midday.

At about 1:45 p.m., Fachrudin and Sunarto -- who live nearby -- went to the couple's home and allegedly stabbed Sutrisno.

Eni said that at the time she was unconcerned by their visit as the two were also her neighbors.

Learning that Sutrisno had been stabbed, some scavengers who live nearby ran to the shack to help and to apprehend Fachrudin.

Sunarto managed to flee from the residents, Eni said.

Fachrudin is being detained at Senen Police station for questioning.

The two suspects' older brother, Suminto, has promised to help local police trace the whereabouts of Sunarto.

"They (Fachrudin and Sunarto) are lazy and never try to find jobs. They only give trouble to their family," Suminto told reporters while viewing the victim's corpse at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue yesterday evening.

He said his two brothers may have been angered by the way Sutrisno berated their younger brother in public.

Suminto said he was prepared to be answerable to the police if Sunarto failed to appear.

"I'll take responsibility," he said. (04)