Robber chooses suicide over arrest

An unnamed thief committed suicide in front of the police officers and angry civilians who were about to apprehend him, after having shot a woman whose bag he had tried to steal in a public minivan in Bandung, West Java, a police official said.

“The would-be thief, along with two cohorts, had attempted to steal a handbag belonging to one of the passengers, Rahma Nurbaiti, while they were traveling in a public minivan. However, Rahma refused to let go of her bag, which apparently angered him,” Bandung police chief Adj, Sr. Comr. Sandi Nugraha said on Saturday.

He added that the man then shot Rahma in her abdomen and then tried to run away. Unfortunately for him, the yelling from the other passengers on the minivan alerted bystanders and a car full of police officers that was happening to pass through that area at the time.

He said when cornered, the robber then decided to end his own life, using his own firearm, in front of everybody. (dic)