Two men mobbed to death for robbery

JAKARTA (JP): Two men were mobbed to death by angry residents of Semanan in Kalideres, West Jakarta late Wednesday as they were caught red-handed attempting to rob an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver of his motorbike, an official said on Thursday.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis told reporters that the two ill-fated men remained unidentified as they did not have any ID cards with them.

The two men were believed to have tried to steal the motorcycle from Idup bin Misin, 59, the ojek driver.

"The incident took place at around 11 p.m. when Idup was passing along Jl. Raya Kopti in the Semanan area," Lubis said.

The two men reportedly stopped Idup in a quiet spot. Moments after he stopped, the two men attacked him.

According to the victim's preliminary account, one of the two attackers pulled out a knife and pointed it at his neck, ordering him not to scream for help, Lubis said.

"Idup, however, refused to abide by the attackers' order. He screamed loudly for help when there was a chance," Lubis said, adding that the scream alerted nearby residents.

However, before any residents arrived, one of the suspects gagged Idup and slashed his right hand with the knife.

The driver managed to survive the fight, but was rushed to a nearby hospital to get medical treatment.

The residents who reached the scene immediately mobbed the two mercilessly. The West Jakarta Police team arrived there later only to pick up the dead suspects.

The bodies were then sent to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta for postmortem examinations. (emf)