Policeman takes his own life on the street

JAKARTA (JP): A second sergeant shot himself dead in a park near the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan on Saturday, police said.

Osman Siregar, 24, of Jl. Conver in Central Jakarta was a member of the Foreigners Control Squad of the Jakarta Police Intelligence Unit, the police said.

His body was first discovered by Sumadi, a low-rank officer of the police's elite Mobile Brigade, who was on patrol.

Sumadi said he was startled by a loud bang and when he traced its source he discovered Osman dying and his right hand still clutching a revolver.

"The victim apparently shot himself at around 9:30 a.m," according to a report filed by Sumadi.

The report did not identify the type of gun used but said the bullet ripped through the upper part of his body.

Osman died on the way to the hospital.

Police are still investigating the case, including the reason behind the apparent suicide.

Colleagues who turned up at the morgue of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital refused to comment on his death.

Osman's brother, 16-year-old Ronald, said Osman had shown no signs of depression prior to his death.

Ronald told reporters at his home that he was asked to stay at home with his brother on Friday night.

Osman, or Ucok to his family, was the second of six children of T. Siregar and N. Butar-butar who live in a low-cost apartment in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Lukman, his older brother, said Ucok told him not to worry too much if something were to happen to him in the near future. "He said this without telling me the reason," he said.

Osman was one of the family's biggest hopes, being one of only two children who completed senior high school. The other was Lukman.

The family sold their property to help pay for his tuition at the Police Academy, Ronald said.(asa)