Mother of six stabbed to death in S. Jakarta

Mother of six stabbed to death in S. Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): A mother of six was found dead with multiple
stab wounds in a quiet South Jakarta housing complex on Tuesday
morning.

Ratna Suryati, 42, was found at 9:30 a.m. by her fifth eldest
child, Mudi Yuliani, 11, lying on the blood-stained floor of the
living room.

The elementary school teacher's throat had also been cut.

The murderer, believed to be a group of at least two men, fled
in her family's Kijang van, but a BMW sedan remained parked in
the garage.

Zainal Abidin, one of Ratna's relatives, said her husband,
Johan Pahlevi, 46, was in London after completing a one-week trip
to New York. He is an employee of Bank Indonesia.

Johan was scheduled to arrive home next week, Zainal said.

South Jakarta police detectives collecting evidence at the
house on Jl. C in the Bank Indonesia housing complex in Tebet
were still trying to determine the motive.

South Jakarta police detective chief Capt. Rycko Amelza Daniel
believed at least two suspects were involved because of the
number of footprints on the white ceramic floors.

"The victim seemed to know the suspects well and they
(suspects) entered the house like ordinary guests or
acquaintances. They took off their sandals and shoes outside the
house and then talked with the victim in the living room where
the murder took place."

One of Ratna's next-door neighbors, Mrs. Priyono Anggoro, said
she saw two men entering the house's yard before the murder.

"But I didn't really pay attention to them as one of them
often came to Ratna's house. I think he's a relative," she said.

Abdul Gafur, a gardener in the housing complex, said he saw
the victim's van driven away at high speed by two unidentified
men.

"Bu Ratna usually drove the car slowly, but at around 10 a.m.
the two men drove off it in a hurry."

Ratna used the Kijang to drive to her school in the Pasar
Minggu area. She taught at noon.

Police had yet to determine whether other items were stolen
from the house.

"We haven't checked the house so we can't say whether there
are any other missing valuables. We deliberately prevented
Ratna's children from entering the house to prevent them from
being shocked," Zainal told reporters.

A frightened Mudi, accompanied by her elder brothers and
sister, still refused to speak to strangers, including the
police.

"Mudi went home early after she attended the mid-term
examinations at her school," her elder brother, Ahmad Arisyah,
said.

"As soon as she found our mother, she ran back to her school
not far away from the house to tell our younger brother, Ibob."

Neighbors heard Mudi's screams and rushed to the house. They
said they were stunned at what they saw.

"I was speechless as moments earlier I saw her still alive,
greeting me as usual," said Puji, a neighbor's housemaid.

The Pahlevis moved to the housing complex from Padang, West
Sumatra, two years ago. Neighbors described them as a devout
family. (emf)