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