Wife killed, husband critical in knife attack

JAKARTA (JP): A housewife was found stabbed to death and her husband dying of stab wounds at their house in Cilincing, North Jakarta on Thursday night.

Police have detained four suspects.

Neighbors found the dead Hasnawati and her husband, Nurdin, when they tried to find the source of smoke coming from the victims' house about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. The neighbors found the mattress was burned.

Hasnawati, 32, was stabbed in the body 12 times while Nurdin, 56, a lumber businessman, had at least four stab wounds.

Hasnawati, who was found naked, was Nurdin's second wife.

Police speculated the four suspects, one of whom is Nurdin's son from his first wife, tried to burn the house down by setting the mattress on fire after committing the crime.

Police seized two blood-smeared machetes.

The four arrests were based on Nurdin's information. Nurdin told a neighbor his attackers' identities before being rushed to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, said police spokesman Maj. Nyoman Suryasta.

Nurdin is in intensive care.

"The suspects are under intensive interrogation at the North Jakarta police precinct," Nyoman said.

Nyoman said preliminary investigations suggested the motive for the attack might be related to inheritance.

The four suspects are M. Ali, Nurdin's son, and his wife, Muhayyah, and Ambo and Hana, whose relationship to the victims is still unclear.

The four were picked up from their houses almost an hour after the bodies were found.

Nyoman said police needed more evidence. "Everything is still under investigation and police are still collecting as much evidence as they can."

Police and several of Nurdin's neighbors on Jl. Kalibaru Timur said Nurdin might have disappointed his children (from his first wife) by sharing his wealth after his first wife died a few years ago. (bsr)