Taxi driver killed by passenger

JAKARTA (JP): Police believe a middle-aged taxi driver was killed by a passenger who refused to pay a Rp 30,000 (US$3.75) fare, which was still registered on the meter.

The victim, Iwan Suharto, 50, was found with stab wounds to the abdomen. His body was found on the ground just 30 meters from his taxi by residents of Kampung Cibedekan, Bekasi.

Police ruled out robbery as being the motive for the killing because the taxi and some of the victim's belongings were left at the crime scene and no bloodstains were found inside the car.

Iwan's friend Jailani, who is also a taxi driver, said the victim was driving his taxi when the incident took place.

"We lived in the same neighborhood. I took pity on him, so I let him drive my taxi after I had finished my shift during the last two months," Jailani said.

Iwan's son, Ervin, 21, who went to the morgue to claim his father's remains, said his father had been a taxi driver for at least 20 years. (01)