Two scavengers shot dead

JAKARTA (JP): The bodies of two scavengers were found on Tuesday morning with gun shot wounds near Mega Guna warehouse in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

Andi Tabrani, 25, had bullet wounds in the chest and right thigh, while Mulyono, 28 -- who was known to his friends as Yudi Rianto -- had been shot in the chest.

According to the victims' families and friends, the two were scrap iron collectors and lived in a slum area under the Muara Karang overpass in North Jakarta.

Mulyono's elder brother, Tatang, said the victim was an alcoholic and habitually carried a badik, a South Sulawesi traditional dagger.

"They went out together on Monday night. Both of them brought small daggers. Probably the police got them on a raid," Tatang said.

Another scavenger said he saw the two men being picked up by police in Penjaringan district at the Teluk Gong market traffic circle. He claimed that he also saw their bodies being dumped the next morning in the vacant lot near the warehouse.

Another friend, who asked for anonymity, said that both victims were suspected of taking part in a warehouse theft over the weekend.

Police were unavailable to comment on the matter. (01)