Two more alleged 'ninjas' die at the hands of mobs

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): The province has witnessed the beatings of four more people accused of being "ninjas" in different incidents in Temanggung, Pemalang, West Semarang and Grobogan.

Two of the victims died while the other two are being treated in hospital for serious injuries.

Police said three of the suspected "ninjas" were mentally ill.

So far only one suspect has been arrested and 25 people questioned in the Temanggung incident.

According to Col. Dedy Komaruddin, chief of Kedu Regional Police which also oversees Temanggung regency, an angry mob in Bojonegoro village of Temanggung lynched Djoko Widodo, 29, on Tuesday evening.

Dedy insisted that Djoko was a local resident. He was beaten to death by his neighbors, the officer said on Wednesday.

"It's not a ninja case, but attempted revenge using the swirling rumors of ninja killers," he said.

"I really feel sorry about the locals who exercised mob rules. They are supposed to report the appearance of any strangers in their neighborhood to the police," Dedy said.

The other killing took place in Pemalang at about 4:30 a.m. Monday in Pesucen village, Patarukan.

The local security authorities said the identity of the dead man remained unknown.

Pemalang Military Resort chief Col. Nur Muis believes the victim was a mentally ill man who was dropped in the area by "a certain party".

According to Muis, the man just got out of an unidentified car when residents approached him to ask for identification.

In response, the man ran away, prompting the locals to chase and beat him violently.

Meanwhile, local villagers of Mangkang Kulon in West Semarang on Tuesday night stopped and beat a man who they suspected of being a ninja.

He was rescued by the police and rushed to the local police station.

Judging from his bare feet and ragged clothing, Greater Semarang Police chief Col. Soenarko said the unidentified man was probably mentally ill.

In Grobogan, a man beaten on Tuesday evening by dozens of villagers at Kawihan, Purwodadi, suffered light injuries. The police arrived and dispersed the mob.

Sergeant Sungkono of the Grobogan Police said the man, still unidentified, was being kept at the local police station.

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, mobs have began to attack strangers they suspect of being killers targeting religious leaders.

The two latest dead victims brings the death toll of people suspected of being ninjas and killed by mobs in the province to 23. Dozens others have been injured.

Police so far have not been able to do anything except urge people to stop taking the law into their own hands. (har/bsr)