Woman fatally hurt at Kopassus HQ

JAKARTA (JP): A woman died in hospital shortly after she was found with a severe chest wound in a cafeteria at the Army's special force (Kopassus) headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta, yesterday.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang identified the woman only as Nur, 24, a waitress at the cafeteria. He said the cause of death was yet to be determined.

He said there had been reports about a shooting incident, but he would need a day or two to get a detailed report. He vowed that he would check whether a security officer was involved.

Zulhasmar Syamsu, a forensic expert at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital who performed a postmortem examination on the body, said Nur had a 10 centimeter-deep puncture in her left chest.

"She might have been shot or stabbed. If she was shot, the bullet may have been fired with a small caliber gun from a distance of more than 60 centimeters. Or, she could have been stabbed with an object that had a thin and sharp tip such as an ice pick," he said.

He recommended that an X-ray be done to locate any other object lodged in the wound.

Zulhasmar said samples had been taken to determine whether Nur had had sex before her death. (ivy/edt)