Police arrest real suspects, not 'kolor hijau' in Bekasi attacks

Evi Mariani and Marilin, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Depok

Jakarta Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said on Tuesday police had arrested two suspects in a separate rape and robbery that took place in November in Bekasi, which led to rumors of the kolor hijau (green underwear) creature.

"The real suspects are currently standing trial at the Bekasi District Court," he said.

The police announced on Monday that the kolor hijau creature -- believed to be half-man, half-pig -- did not exist.

"We deployed officers to the scenes of the crimes when the rumors began in Bekasi in November," Salempang said.

"Residents said the kolor hijau was responsible for the rape on Nov. 16, and four days earlier there had been a theft in another village in Bekasi.

"I don't know how this creature became the talk of the town, but our officers gathered information that indicate the rumors of the kolor hijau began after this robbery," he said.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo said he was disappointed with the inaccurate reporting of a local daily, which wrote that a woman had been raped by the kolor hijau creature in Depok on Sunday evening.

During a visit to Depok, Prasetyo said no rape occurred and that the woman who claimed to have been raped had a history of mental problems.

He said the woman told officers she had been possessed by a hairy, pig-faced, green creature since childhood.

"A doctor examined her and found razor cuts on her body. This indicates she suffers from depression, perhaps because of financial problems," Prasetyo said, adding that the woman's husband was unemployed.