Six arrested for pelting stones at police

Antara ,  Sumenep, Madura Island   |  Sun, 06/22/2008 4:32 PM  |  National

Police have arrested six people for pelting stones at the Talango Police station in Indonesia's Madura Island on Saturday night.

The stone throwers are all residents of Cabbiya, a village in Sumenep district, East Java.

Before the incident, a villager had destroyed the house of a resident suspected of practicing black magic, said a witness, Karsono.

The villagers who allegedly destroyed the house were later detained at the police station. Other villagers went to the police station to demand their release.

Chief of the Sumenep Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Darmawan said the suspects were being interrogated and that there might have been more people involved.

However, he did not reveal the motive behind the incident.

It is believed the incident was related to santet (black magic).

After the police rejected demands to release the suspects, the villagers began pelting stones at the police station, he said. (**)

 

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