'Ojek' driver severely wounded

JAKARTA (JP): An ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver was badly injured on Friday when he tried, with the help of residents from East Depok, to stop four men from stealing his motorcycle.

The driver, Cepi, 35, was stabbed in the neck, left ear and across his palms during the attack. He was rushed to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta.

"He's in a critical condition. Doctors say the bleeding will stop but the wounds are really deep so I can only hope and pray," Wasiyati, the victim's wife, said. She has remained by her husband's side in the intensive care unit.

Wasiyati quoted a fellow ojek driver as saying that about 10 a.m., Cepi, a resident of Sidomukti, East Depok, was asked by a passenger -- described as a clean, good looking, young man -- to take him to Studio Alam TVRI.

Studio Alam was about five kilometers from Cepi's ojek base, she said.

"As soon as he reached Studio Alam, however, three men stopped the motorcycle and asked my husband to get off."

With the passenger's help, the three thieves forced Cepi to hand over his motorcycle and wallet, containing about Rp 28,000 (US$5.60), she said.

But Cepi screamed for help, alerting some residents who were working in nearby fields.

The gang fled but not before severely wounding Cepi.

Fellow ojek drivers reported the case to a nearby police station. (04)