Motorbike thief beaten to death

TANGERANG (JP): A man was beaten to death by angry residents after allegedly being caught attempting to steal a motorcycle from an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver in Nagrak village, Jatiuwung district, on Friday morning.

A police officer who asked not to be named said that the victim, Uding, 32, was attacked by residents when they heard a scream for help from the ojek driver named Sudrajat.

The incident started when Uding asked Sudrajat to drive him to Kresek subdistrict. When the two passed Nagrak village, however, Uding tried to grab Sudrajat's vehicle and the two men began to fight, the officer said.

He said that Sudrajat then cried for help, alerting nearby residents who mobbed Uding, a resident of Kelor village.

Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col. Pudji Hartanto Iskandar expressed regret over the incident, saying that the villagers should have reported the case to the local police instead of taking the law into their own hands.

Last November an angry mob beat an unidentified man to death after being caught red-handed attempting to steal a motorcycle in Caranang village of Cikupa district. Late last month a similar incident took place on Jl. Kakap in the Perumnas housing complex, leaving two men injured. (41)