Police search for clues to murder of French national

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police detectives are searching for clues behind the alleged armed robbery and mysterious murder of a French national at her residence on the dead end road of Jl. Madrasah II, Cilandak Timur, South Jakarta, early on Monday morning.

The police were questioning four maids, a security guard and a gardener, over the alleged murder, said Jakarta Police chief of violence and crime (Jatanras) detectives Maj. Dharma Pongrekun.

"We are still investigating this case. We were informed at about 4:40 a.m. on Monday. We suspect the murderers entered from climbing over a fence at the back of the house," Dharma told reporters.

Police identified the victim as Silvy Maufin, 39, a mother of three children.

"The lady's husband was in Singapore when the crime occurred. The security guard and the gardener were off-duty. The maids said they were asleep," Dharma said.

The victim's children were identified as Pondis, 12, Marin, 9, and Caroline, 3, while her husband is Jacques Maufin.

"The lady was blonde. There was a cut on the right corner of her mouth and a small gash near her left underarm. From the clear red marks around her neck, we strongly suspect that she died of strangulation," an officer who requested anonymity said.

The officer said one of the lady's children found their mother on her master bed, with a pillow under her head, "holding dolls in both hands, like as if she was fast asleep".

"But the lady was stripped of her clothes and the room was in total disarray, with the exception of the bed. The child called a hospital. The hospital sent a doctor to come over and he informed the police," the officer said.

He added that there was not one drop of blood found on the bed. At least three drops of blood, however, were found near the dining table.

A computer laptop, a cell phone and keys to a Kijang van were found missing, among other things, while a small chocolate- colored handbag was found discarded on the roof of the house.

The bag, according to an officer, reportedly contained some U.S. dollars and francs, worth millions of rupiah.

Police found a strip of cloth, a glove of a machete, a green plastic rope, allegedly used for the robbers' escape, and a belt at the residence.

"The blood samples and some evidence have been rushed off to the National Police central forensics laboratory (Puslabfor). Right now, I'm concentrating on questioning the maids, the gardener and the security guard," Dharma said.

He identified the guard as Larto, the gardener as Widodo, who according to neighbors, has very weak eyesight, and the maids as Nur, Maniah, Kosbun and Badar.

An officer, who also requested anonymity, said police suspected that the strip of cloth, which looked torn, came from Widodo's pants. Widodo had a long cut on the inside of his left thigh.

"I got this cut when the police beat me up this morning when I refused to talk," Widodo, who is reportedly unable to see beyond five meters, said.

A neighbor, requesting anonymity, said the family had rented the house on Jl. Madrasah II some eight months ago, and that they were due to leave in another three months for France.

No officials at the French Embassy here were available for comment on Monday evening.

Maufin's body was one of 10 brought to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue on Monday.

One body was identified as that of Erni Kusumahwati, 20.

She died on Monday morning of a gash wound on her neck. According to her relatives, she was assaulted by a man who claimed to love her, and assaulted her when she refused to meet him again.

Four bodies belonged to men who died after being beaten to death by crowds in separate locations for crimes they committed, while the remaining four belonged to three men and a woman, who died from drowning in four different locations in the capital. (ylt/06)