Police questioned eight more in murder probe

Police questioned eight more in murder probe

JAKARTA (JP): Police questioned eight more people yesterday in
connection with Monday's brutal murder of a teacher's wife and
children in Bambu Apus, East Jakarta.

However, the motive for the killing is not yet known.

"Be patient, please. The final investigation has yet to be
completed," City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo told
reporters yesterday after attending the closing ceremony of a
course on security affairs.

Asked whether Rohadi, the teacher, was implicated in the
crime, he replied: "Not for the time being."

Meanwhile, a police source identified the eight people
questioned yesterday as Filipus Kia, his wife Parmi, his sons
Agus, Fery, Bernadus and Albert, and his cousins Alex and
Lambert.

"Filipus, one of his sons, and two cousins were questioned
regarding a dispute over land with Rohadi. During earlier
investigations the police dogs ran to Filipus' house," said the
source, who asked not to be identified.

Filipus Kia, who works as a security guard, was picked up at
his office in Pademangan, North Jakarta, at about 1:30 a.m.
yesterday morning.

From there police went to his house, which is located about
100 meters from Rohadi's, to pick up other family members -- his
four sons, his wife Parmi, and two cousins who live next door.

Rohadi and a teacher colleague jointly bought 200 square
meters of land in the area some time ago. Rohadi built his house
on his 100 square meters of land while the remaining 100 square
meters, belonging to Rohadi's colleague, was planted with cassava
by Rohadi's wife. Filipus's land is located next to the cassava
grove.

"It is still not certain who started it, but there was an
argument between Filipus and Rohadi's wife, Eli, about the
cassava garden," the source said.

According to a police source, Filipus has conceded that he was
upset with Rohadi's wife because she planted the cassava on his
land as well.

As of yesterday, Filipus and his family were under city police
surveillance.

After five days of investigating, police detectives have
questioned more than 20 people, including Eli's husband, 33-year-
old Rohadi, but police have not yet arrested or named any
suspects.

Love affair

Police say they suspect that either a love affair or a land
dispute was behind the murders.

Eli, a 31-year-old housewife, and three of her five young
children -- aged two, four and eight -- were found dead with
severe stab wounds on Monday afternoon. Eli's eight-month-old
baby was found hanging but survived. The victims' bodies were
discovered by Eli's eldest daughter at their small house in the
Bambu Apus subdistrict of Ciracas, East Jakarta.

Aminah, Filipus's next-door neighbor, told The Jakarta Post
that she saw police coming to Filipus's house and taking
Filipus's family members away with them.

"The police used three cars to take them," she said.

Aminah, whose husband Namin is the head of the local community
organization, said that she had never heard anything about a land
conflict between Rohadi's and Filipus' families.

She said Filipus, who had been living in the neighborhood for
13 years, was a quiet person.

"But he is active in the soccer club here," she said. She said
members of Filipus' family had participated in the community
services held by the neighborhood to mourn Monday's deaths.

"Filipus's wife Parmi helped us with the cooking during the
tahlilan (an Islamic community gathering to pray for the dead),"
she said. (01/bsr)