Police accused of deadly beating

The police in Sumedang, West Java, detained eight detectives Tuesday for allegedly beating a drug suspect to death.

Sumedang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Syamsul Bachri said the eight men were members of the intercepting team and the narcotics unit and included the latter's chief, who was held responsible for his men's misconduct.

The incident took place Sunday when the drug suspect, a civil servant at the local education office known only as Ko, was found dead in his cell after an interrogation by the narcotics unit. Ko had been arrested after another suspect told police he had supplied drugs.

Ko, originally from Cimalaka district in Sumedang, was initially believed to have died choking on food, but an autopsy report revealed he had been beaten and then strangled to death.

""We have locked them up to serve as a punishment for violating work ethics. They should have protected the people, not committed abuse,"" Syamsul told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said the eight detectives had admitted to beating Ko with their fists, a rattan stick and a telephone cable.

""We have brought disciplinary measures against them in the form of detention and demotion. If they are proven guilty in court, we will slap other sanctions on them,"" said Syamsul.

He added the police were still examining the possibility the dead suspect had suffered from illnesses that might have caused his death. (JP/Yuli Tri Suwarni)