Police tight-lipped on officer's alleged killer

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)