'VP' guards beaten for stealing

BOGOR: Two men claiming to be guards of Vice President Hamzah Haz were beaten by local residents in Leuwiliang market, Bogor, for stealing rambutan (lychee-like fruit).

The incident happened on Monday night at about 10 p.m. as the two, Eko, 30, and Candra, 40, former members of the now-defunct Kamra (civilian security force) forced a vendor to give them the fruit, Antara reported.

"We are guards of Vice President Hamzah Haz," one of them said.

Wearing Army T-shirts carrying the word Komando and armed with handcuffs, the well-built men took a bunch of rambutan worth Rp 1,500 (about US$1.5) without paying for it.

As the vendor was too scared to protest, the men seized more fruit and put them into a sack.

As they were about to leave, a resident yelled at them.

People soon besieged the two and attacked them before taking the injured thieves to the local police.--JP