Police lieutenant main suspect in Tjetje's death

BANDUNG (JP): West Java Police Chief Maj. Gen. Nana Permana yesterday officially declared the Bogor police's chief detective, First Lt. DT, was the suspect in the death of a robbery suspect while in Bogor police custody.

The statement ended speculation over whether Tjetje Tadjudin (not Cece Tajudin as earlier reported) was tortured while in police custody.

Nana, who was in Sukabumi regency, 93km west of Bandung, said Lt. DT was in police detention and a special team had been set up to investigate the case.

The spokesman for West Java's Siliwangi Military Command, Lt. Col. Herman Ibrahim, said Army members were on the investigative team. Herman refused to comment further on Tjetje's death.

Nana also said two sergeants were being questioned over Tjetje's death. "But we have not yet found evidence of their involvement," he said.

The two sergeants told the investigative team they saw Lt. DT. interrogating Tjetje and his friend Norman, Nana said.

Nana acknowledged that preliminary examinations and a postmortem indicated Tjetje, a 42-year-old father of three, did not commit suicide and did not die from a serious illness. "Therefore, there must be people who got involved in the beating. And field investigations strongly indicate that Lt. DT, is the likely suspect," Nana said.

"The suspect is the man most responsible for the safety and security of Tjetje in custody. Tjetje's death proves that there are police officers who are still lacking professionalism," Nana said. "This case is a bitter lesson for us."

However, he did not believe his subordinate(s) had intended to kill the suspect.

Key witness

Tjetje was expected to be a key witness in the fatal robbery on the Jagorawi toll road which claimed the life of his friend Zaenuddin Lesmana on Oct. 11.

Tjetje and Norman Lubis were passengers in Zaenuddin's Hyundai Elantra sedan which was intercepted by a Kijang van carrying three people. The three unidentified men got out of the van and fired at Zaenuddin's car's rear windshield..

The Hyundai's driver, Zaenuddin, was killed while Tjetje and Norman escaped unhurt. The robbers made off with some of the money in Zaenuddin's car but left Rp 300 million.

Zaenuddin had just withdrawn the money from a BRI bank branch in Bogor. The money belonged to his employer.

Tjetje and Norman were later arrested by Bogor police who believed they were the robbers' accomplices.

On Monday, Bogor Regency Police Chief Col. Dadang Garnida announced Tjetje died on the way to the PMI hospital from a respiratory problem.

Various officials have made conflicting statements about Tjetje's death. Tjetje worked at the state-owned housing company Perum Perumnas.

Police who handed Tjetje's body to his relatives for burial said Tjetje, 42, died from a serious illness he already had. Tjetje's relatives strongly rejected this.

The chief of Bogor Regency Military Command, Col. Eddi Budianto, said there were procedural errors in Tjetje's interrogation. "Investigators had been too coercive in making the suspect admit something," Eddi was quoted by Pos Kota as saying on Thursday.

The head of the National Police Crime Investigation Directorate, Brig. Gen. Rusdihardjo, said on Wednesday during an Interpol meeting in Antalya, Turkey, that Tjetje might have been brutally battered while in police custody.

Unofficial reports said Tjetje and Norman were also interrogated by military police. Nana acknowledged this, but refused to reveal if the two were tortured by military police officers. "What I know is the suspects were questioned over the possible involvement of Armed Forces' members in the robbery," Nana said.

Norman is still in the Bogor police lockup and Nana has instructed subordinates to protect him properly as he is the only witness to the robbery. (17/sur/21)

Rights commission - Page 3

Editorial -- Page 4