Small brawl leads to death of three men in E. Jakarta

Small brawl leads to death of three men in E. Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Police said yesterday that Saturday's fatal
clash between an army corporal and three civilians, which
resulted in the death of three people including the corporal, was
probably caused by a minor incident.

Police spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Permantoro told The Jakarta
Post that the local police are still questioning a number of
suspects and collecting evidence from the scene of the crime.

"We cannot yet reveal the conclusion of our investigation as
to who started the argument," Bambang said.

Corporal Muhamad Toha, 27, who worked part time as an ojek
(motorcycle taxi) driver in his housing complex, was fatally
stabbed by one of the three civilians who mobbed him at the Yon
201 Gandaria army housing complex in the Pekayon subdistrict of
Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Two of the three people, identified as Yeyen, 25, and Udin,
27, were then brutally beaten to death by dozens of angry area
residents.

According to Bambang, the other man, identified as Indra, 22,
was nabbed by the East Jakarta police at his relative's house in
Beji, Depok, 30 kilometers south of here.

"He was arrested on Sunday afternoon with the knife we believe
was used to stab the victim," Bambang said.

Police have not officially announced the background details of
the incident. A reliable police source, however, told the Post
yesterday that the fight took place after the three men blocked
the path of the motorcycle driven by Toha, who was carrying a
female passenger through small alley in the complex.

Toha was wearing civilian clothes at the time of the incident.

"Probably the three were upset because Toha blew the horn of
his motorcycle too strong to ask the men to get out of his way,"
the source said.

But Toha, too, got angry and a heated argument ensued, the
source said. The army corporal then challenged the group to a
fight after dropping his passenger, he said.

The three were not residents of the complex. They had
reportedly just visited one of their relatives living near the
area.

One of the three returned to their relative's house to get a
sharp weapon, said the source.

A number of area local residents rushed to the scene after
hearing Toha's screams for help. Indra managed to escape the mob
but his two friends failed and were severely beaten by the
residents.

Bambang refused to comment on whether police have also
detained some of the people who took the law into their own hands
by summarily beating the two victims to death.

"Everything is still being investigated," he said simply.
(bsr)