Old diamond trader murdered in her house

Old diamond trader murdered in her house

JAKARTA (JP): An 80-year-old diamond trader was found dead in
a pool of blood in her bedroom at her two-story Duren Tiga home
in Pancoran, South Jakarta on Wednesday morning.

It remains unclear whether a robbery also took place but
police and relatives believe that Sinta Ema Sibarani, who lived
together with four grandchildren and one maid, was murdered by
someone or a group of people who were close to her.

According to Sibarani's daughter, M. Tampubolon, the body of
the elderly woman was found by her granddaughter Meggie.

Tampubolon quoted Meggie as saying that neither the
grandchildren nor the housemaid heard any unusual noises before
finding Sibarani's body, which was covered in stab wounds.

"We suspect that the killers must have known my mother very
well because the front door of the house was not damaged at all,"
she told reporters at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

She said that Sibarani lived with three of her grandchildren
-- Meggie, Lusi and Marshal -- and a young housemaid known as
Zainab, after her husband, Napitupulu, died in 1992.

Tampubolon said that the robbers killed Sibarani in her
bedroom where she kept her diamonds worth hundreds of millions of
rupiah.

She also said that her mother had not received any threats in
the last few years.

Tampubolon later recalled that her mother had just fired one
of her drivers, Heri, 25, shortly before her death.

"Heri got married without informing my mother and disappeared
for days. When he wanted to return, my mother had already got a
new driver," she said.

On Wednesday afternoon South Jakarta detectives were still
combing the victim's house for evidence to identify the culprits.

A police source said that they suspected close associates who
were familiar with Sibarani and her activities.

One of Sibarani's children believed to be the key witness to
the incident had been questioned intensively at the South Jakarta
police precinct, the source said.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang confirmed the
murder.

"It might have been committed by people close to the victim
because it's strange that no one in the house said they heard any
screams before the body was found," he said.

Officers were, however, basing their investigation on the
presumption of innocence, Aritonang added. (ivy/emf)