Three men attack food vendor

JAKARTA (JP): Three men attacked a female food vendor believing that she was a police informant in the Kebon Melati area of Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday evening.

Local residents managed to catch and beat up one of the three men at the crime scene, who was later rescued from the crowd by police officers.

The man, identified as Wibowo, 39, was brought to the Tanah Abang police subprecinct for questioning, police subprecinct chief Second Insp. Ary Satrian told reporters.

Wibowo told the police that he and his two friends had beaten up Sukaesih, 26, who usually sells meals at her home in the Jati Bunder area of Kebon Melati, because they suspected that she had informed police about their friend, who allegedly was a drug supplier and was recently shot dead by police.

According to eyewitnesses and the suspect's testimony, Ary said that Wibowo and his two friends had dragged the victim out of her house, while she was heating up rice for her food stall and started to beat her until she could not walk.

Local residents then came to her rescue and beat up one of the attackers as the other two fled. (ylt)