Woman shot while riding motorcycle

JAKARTA (JP): A woman was shot on her buttocks by an unidentified person in front of the Gadjah Mada Plaza on Jl. Gadjah Mada in Central Jakarta at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

The victim, Ika Novitasari, 26, said that she was riding pillion on a green RX-King motorcycle, driven by her husband, Kurniawan, 28, when the incident happened.

"We had just closed our small foodstall in the Tanah Sereal subdistrict (Tambora district), and were on our way to pick up our 3-month-old baby, Monica, whom we had left at my mother's house to be taken care of," Ika told The Jakarta Post from her bedside at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

"When we passed the Gadjah Mada Plaza area, we heard some noise, then gun shots... more than one. I didn't see anyone, no motorcycle, nothing but when I looked around, I realized I was shot in my right buttocks."

Kurniawan, who works with his wife at his small foodstall, immediately rushed her to the nearby Cendana Medical Clinic, after which she was transferred to the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital.

Due to "technical reasons" which the hospital staffers refused to explain, Ika was immediately transferred to the Abdi Waluyo hospital in Central Jakarta where she would be operated.

Two officers of the Central Jakarta Police mobile detectives unit (Resmob), only reached the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital at 1 p.m. on Sunday, stating that they had only found out about the incident "a few hours ago."

"It (the bullet) was a .38 millimeter. We've been told to look into this," Resmob officer Slamet said. (ylt)