Young man held for killing 5 year old

JAKARTA (JP): Police arrested a young man who allegedly sodomized and strangled a five-year-old girl in North Jakarta on Saturday.

The suspect, identified as Yanto, 21, was arrested at his house on Jl. Warakas IV, North Jakarta, Saturday night, following a neighbor's report that he was the last person to be seen with the victim.

Yanto confessed to the police yesterday that he strangled the girl, identified as MF, because she fought while he tried to sodomize her.

Yanto, whose neighbors said he suffered from a mental disorder, knew the victim very well and often played with her.

The girl was found that night in serious condition by neighbors in Yanto's backyard. Her mother had asked them to help look for her because she had not come home after playing with friends.

The victim, who died on the way to the Sukmo hospital, North Jakarta, was buried yesterday afternoon. (cst)