Police tight-lipped on officer's alleged killer
JAKARTA (JP): City police have yet to make a formal statement on the results of their interrogation of a man arrested three days ago for his alleged role in the killing of a senior police officer in East Jakarta last week.
"The investigation is still going on," City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Permantoro told reporters yesterday.
Bambang said he could not answer reporters' questions on the case as he has had difficulties in contacting police officers in charge of the case.
"We still need time to complete the case," he added.
The suspect, identified as Baskoni Wahab, 63 (not 50 as reported earlier), a senior teacher and manager of the Kagumi economics educational foundation in Cakung, East Jakarta, was arrested on Tuesday morning for allegedly stabbing to death last Friday morning Maj. Noenang Kohar, 38, the newly-appointed head of the Pademangan police.
The officer, who had recently left his post as head of the drugs unit at city police headquarters, was apparently stabbed with a knife by a passenger of a bajaj (a small, three-wheeled, transport vehicle) during a heated argument following a minor accident between the bajaj and the Daihatsu Taft jeep driven by Noenang. Noenang was not in uniform at the time of the incident.
Dispute
According to Baskoni's lawyers, who accompanied him during police questioning, the senior teacher has admitted that he was the bajaj passenger and that it was he who stabbed Noenang. Baskoni lawyers revealed that the accused had carried a knife on his purse for several days following a dispute with his brothers over a family inheritance.
The suspect has claimed that he reacted in self defense after Noenang slapped him on the face, his lawyers said.
In his confession, Baskoni claims that the crash occurred after the Taft jeep tried to pass the bajaj on the left side -- a violation of the traffic law.
When the accident occurred, Baskoni shouted obscene words at Noenang, his lawyers said. Hearing the obscenities, Noenang allegedly asked Baskoni to get out of the bajaj.
When Baskoni remained in the bajaj, Noenang rushed from his car and slapped Baskoni's face, the lawyers quoted their client as telling them.
After being assaulted, Baskoni got out of the bajaj and demanded to know why Noenang had slapped him. An infuriated Noenang allegedly told Baskoni that he was offended by Baskoni's obscene words.
Apparently Noenang moved to slap Baskoni again, but Baskoni quickly removed his knife and stabbed the unsuspecting officer in the left side of his chest, the lawyers told reporters.
Not aware
The lawyers, who are from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation, said Baskoni was not aware at the time of the stabbing that the victim was a police officer; he later learned the victim's identity while watching a local television network news program.
Police spokesman Bambang refused to say whether the bajaj driver had confirmed that Baskoni was his passenger at that time of the incident.
Police silence on the case is a mystery. Typically, the police will hold a press conference or, at least, release a formal statement soon after the arrest of a suspect.
The "reluctance" by police to make a formal statement regarding the case has sparked wild rumors.
Earlier, local media reports speculated that the suspect was really a member of the Armed Forces and had already been questioned secretly by the authorities.
Bambang brushed aside this theory, saying that the silence of the police is due to the fact that the investigation is still underway.
"We'll reveal police findings after we have completed the investigation," the spokesman said.
A relative of the suspect, Suhana Nattawilwana, told The Jakarta Post earlier that Baskoni is the real murderer.
"He's not a scapegoat," Suhana said, referring to local press reports suggesting that Baskoni was a scapegoat -- someone assigned of his own free will to protect the real suspect. (bsr)