Parents, son mobbed by ex-neighbors

Parents, son mobbed by ex-neighbors

JAKARTA (JP): A man, his wife and son were beaten by some of
their former neighbors in the Sawah Besar area, Central Jakarta,
on Tuesday.

Relatives and witnesses said the mob had been hunting for
Wahyar, 53, wife Hani, 49, and son Deden, 27, as the residents
believed they caused a fire which gutted their densely populated
area in April this year.

Wahyar suffered slight wounds all over his body after being
mobbed by his ex-neighbors, while his wife and son suffered head
injuries.

According to a local resident, who asked not to be named, the
family moved from the area after their house was also destroyed
in the April fire. But they returned to the premise on Tuesday
morning.

Housewife Hani said that after the fire the family temporarily
moved into a relative's house in Central Java. They returned on
Tuesday to assess the damage to their house, she said.

The fire on April 5 destroyed 93 shanty homes and a mosque in
two slums in Karang Anyar subdistrict of Sawah Besar, leaving 116
families comprising 324 people homeless.

No fatalities were recorded and local police officer said the
blaze was possibly caused by a short circuit.

But rumors spread that the fire originated from Wahyar's house
after the family burned incense derived from gum benzoin.

The police are still investigating the case. (07)