Two more people fall victim in East Java killing spree
Two more people fall victim in East Java killing spree
SURABAYA (JP): The mysterious killing spree in East Java has
claimed two more victims, including one man slain in a mob attack
because he was suspected of complicity in the murders.
Their deaths in Jember bring the number of murders to 159,
according to the estimate of the independent Missing Persons and
Victims of Violence (Kontras). Most previous victims were either
suspected practitioners of black magic or Moslem preachers.
On Sunday morning, a Darungan villager of Tanggul subdistrict,
Nurasin, 50, was found dead in the gutter near his house by
villagers. His body had several wounds inflicted by a sharp
object and his skull was smashed. Neighbors said Nurasin may have
been murdered on Saturday night.
They described him as a laborer who did not dabble in black
magic, but was a devout Moslem.
Neighbors claimed to have seen several strangers in the area
before they found Nurasin's body.
On Saturday, a 35-year-old man was mobbed to death in front of
the Ledokombo police subprecinct, also in Jember, about 105
kilometers east of here.
Locals said the unidentified man had been in police custody
since Friday, allegedly for suspicious acts.
Villagers reportedly went to the police station and demanded
that the suspect be released, or they would burn down the
building. The police complied, and the man was set upon by the
mob.
However, Jember police chief Lt. Col. A. Madjid Thawil denied
that police had released the man at the mob's insistence.
He said the man was caught by villagers and was about to be
handed over to the police. However, they met another crowd of
villagers in front of the police station and the situation became
violent. He added another man was beaten but survived. He is
undergoing treatment at Dr. Subandi Hospital in Jember.
The police have been criticized for being slow in handling the
murders and averting more murders. Kontras estimated the number
of victims at 157 on Friday. At least 110 have been killed in
Banyuwangi alone, its coordinator, Munir said.
He believed the murders may have been perpetrated by an
organized force.
Several religious teachers in Jember called on police to stop
the killing. Some claimed they had received written death
threats.
Yusuf Muhammad from an Islamic boarding school in the Telaga
Besar subdistrict, who is also a cleric of the Nahdlatul Ulama
Moslem organization -- said two strangers had once come looking
for him.
Munir said the killings had intensified since the Banyuwangi
administration instructed village chiefs to list alleged
practitioners of black magic, but half the victims were
preachers.
On Saturday, Antara news agency reported that the police
intelligence coordinator investigating the killings, Maj. Gen.
Da'i Bachtiar, said the police recorded 71 murders in September
alone. (nur/aan)