Park rapes at Citra Raya worrying

TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang Council will soon summon the management of the Citra Raya housing complex in Cikupa district to demand firm action against people loitering in the large park located within the complex, an official said on Monday.

Head of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction Habib Ali Alwi said the summons was in connection with the arrest of six men last Wednesday, who confessed to having viciously raped several women at the park.

"They had seen several couples loitering around the park and were influenced by this," he said.

"The housing complex management must have some moral responsibility over the matter. They allowed prostitution to be conducted at the park, and there is no way that they did not know about this."

Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col. Pudji Hartanto earlier identified the six suspects, aging between 24 and 30, as Maulana, Syaiful Anwar, Abdul Aziz, Syaruddin, Tohiruddin and Rochmat.

Pudji said the six men spied on couples frequenting Citra Raya park late at night.

"They then pretended to be security guards, detained the couples and threatened to expose and drag them naked out in public.

"Because the victims were terrified, they offered no resistance and the group would sexually assault the women," Pudji said.

Most of the rape victims were young female factory employees, but were too embarrassed to come forward and report the incidents to nearby police stations, the officer said.

The arrest of the six alleged rapists was made following a complaint from local resident Sutaryanto, 25, who said his girlfriend was abducted by a group of men at Citra Raya park on June 16.

"Sutaryanto said his girlfriend, SM, 18, was abducted by a group of men when the two were together at the park," Cikupa Police detective Second Lt. Deddy Irawan said.

The six men reportedly have confessed to the crime. One of the suspects, Syaiful Anwar, admitted he often watched couples in the park.

"Five of my friends and I decided to harass them (Sutaryanto and SM) as they were passionately making out ... which got us excited," Syaiful said.

The other suspects also confessed to raping several girls, but refused to provide the names of their victims, police said. (41/ylt)