Suspected 'ninja' beaten to death in Demak

DEMAK, Central Java (JP): A man accused of being a "ninja" was beaten to death by a mob on Monday afternoon in Ngaluran village of Karanganyar, bringing the province-wide death toll of people killed by mobs to 21.

Another suspected ninja beaten on the same day in the same area was badly injured.

According to Karanganyar district chief Subroto, the two men were both mentally ill.

He identified the dead man as Suyitno of Gajah Demak village. The man who was injured is still unidentified, Subroto said on Tuesday.

"It's clear to us that the two men were not 'ninjas' but mentally ill people hanging around the village," Subroto said.

According to Central Java Police chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi, the police have recorded at least 39 victims of mob rule.

Of that number, 21 were executed by the mobs. Some of the victims were undressed and burned alive by the crowd, Nurfaizi said.

"We cannot let these kinds of circumstances continue," the two-star general told reporters Monday evening.

The latest wave of mob attacks against suspected "ninjas" in the province occurred last Saturday when seven people were killed by mobs in separate incidents.

They were two youths who were beaten to death in Pati, a man who was killed in Karanganyar, an unidentified man killed in Tegal, and three employees of Jakarta-based PT Astra Credit Company who were beaten to death in Pemalang.

The "ninjas", so dubbed because of their black clothing and their stealth, are being sought for the murders of about 180 people. The murders were first reported in September and most of the victims were initially in East Java.

Saying that police were too slow in responding to the murders, the mobs began to attack strangers they suspected of being killers targeting religious leaders.

According to Nurfaizi, in their attempt to maintain security in their neighborhoods, many residents in the province have overreacted to the rumors of "ninjas".

"Their security system was exaggerated and uncontrollable. They do not even have a proper plan. People should also have to obey the existing laws without conducting such mob rule," the officer said. (har/bsr)