Village chief tortured to death

Village chief tortured to death

IPUH, Bengkulu: Hundreds of Makmur Java villagers in North
Bengkulu ran amok and tortured to death village chief Syamsul
Jakfar, police said.

North Bengkulu police precinct chief Lt. Col. Sugeng Haryanto
said that retaliation might be the motive behind the murder,
which he said involved locals. The victim, he said, frequently
uttered obscene words to the villagers.

Antara reported on Saturday that Saymsul's body was dumped
into a river near the village while his house, his motorcycle and
car were all burned.

The victim was tortured while most villagers were attending
the evening tarawih prayer at the local mosque.

Sulaimah, the victim's wife, and their two children have taken
refuge at the house of the Ipuh district chief.

Second Lt. Azwar Effendi, chief of the Ipuh police station,
said that 120 residents have been arrested. (rms)