Police catch haunted fugitive

BEKASI, West Java (JP): Bekasi Police arrested yesterday a man who had been on the run for the past three months for the alleged murder of a female food vendor and two burglars accused of robbing jewelry and money from a local resident here.

The fugitive, Hel, 27, was accused of sexually assaulting and killing Henny, 23, in a vacant lot in the Cibitung district on Aug. 6.

Police apprehended Hel at his hideout in Lampung, southern Sumatra.

The suspect told police he had been terrorized by the victim's ghost and had visited a sharman in his home town of Lampung to help eradicate his fear of the ghost. Hel was brought to the Bekasi police precinct yesterday.

The police precinct chief, Lt. Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo, said Hel said he often ate at Henny's food stall.

On Aug. 6 he asked Henny to accompany him to a colleague's wedding feast but on the way dragged her into a vacant lot and tried to rape her, police said. The victim resisted so Hel strangle her.

Meanwhile, the two burglars, Sim, 24 and Sol, 28, confessed to stealing 20 grams of jewelry and Rp 600,000 (US$255) from Ismail's house in the Cikarang district last Thursday.

Sim admitted to having tied up Ismail's hands and legs with ropes while Sol bound Ismail's wife.

Sim and Sol fled and hid in a nearby West Java regency before being arrested by police at their respective homes in the districts of Cibarusah and Cikarang yesterday. (kod)