Robber mobbed to death

JAKARTA (JP): An angry crowd mobbed a man to death yesterday for robbing the driver of an angkot, a seven-seat public transportation minivan, in Tangerang, police said.

The crowd also caught the man's wife and beat her, City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said.

He said the woman, Yani, 30, confessed she, together with her husband and friends, robbed another public transport driver earlier in the morning as well.

"We are still looking for the four other men who were identified by the woman as accomplices in the first robbery," Aritonang said.

According to Aritonang, Yani said she, her late husband Anthony, 30, and four other men robbed a driver who served the Karawaci-Perum I route.

"These six people pretended to be passengers. Somewhere along Jl. Pandan Raya, Cibodas Sari, one of them threatened the driver with a knife and demanded his money," Aritonang said.

The driver, Irwan Kusnadi, 23, refused and said he did not have much money. He was stabbed in the neck when he scuffled with the robber, after his wallet, containing Rp 30,000 (US$12), was taken, Aritonang said.

He said the courageous Irwan managed to open the door and jump out of the moving vehicle. The minivan then hit an electric pole. The six people fled in separate directions.

"Yani said she and her husband jumped into another empty minivan and decided to rob the driver, too, because they still needed more money," Aritonang said.

The couple forced the driver, Iwan Saidris, out of the van after they took his money.

But Anthony, who took over the steering wheel, could not control the van very well. He drove into a house's fence just a hundred meters away from where he dropped the driver off, Aritonang said.

"Iwan, who saw the accident, immediately screamed out for help. Nearby people rushed to the site and attacked the couple, particularly Anthony," he said.

Aritonang said Anthony died before police could bring him to a hospital.

Meanwhile, in North Jakarta, a teenager was also beaten yesterday by a crowd for robbing his own neighbor, Aritonang said.

Sixteen-year-old Ismayora Mahaan tried to rob Amin when the latter screamed and attracted people's attention.

The crowd beat Ismayora after he tried to run, but slipped and fell. He sustained severe injuries. (cst)