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)