T

he Jakarta Police have arrested gang leader Ladau Tetlageni, better known as Daud Kei, and three others for allegedly beating up a karaoke club employee in Central Jakarta, a police spokesperson said on Monday.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said the incident took place while the four men were patronizing a karaoke club at the Citywalk shopping center in the Sudirman area of Central Jakarta on Dec. 28, 2014.

'€œThe victim, who works at the karaoke [club], requested that the suspects pay their outstanding bills before having the room prepared. However, they insisted on getting the karaoke room that night,'€ Martinus told reporters.

The four men then ordered beers and according to Martinus, began complaining that the beer had been mixed with water. The suspects then interrogated staff persons at the karaoke club about the supposedly watered-down beer.

Martinus added that Daud and his friends then beat up one of the workers who then filed a police report at Jakarta Police headquarters on Dec. 30, 2014.

Jakarta Police violent crime sub-directorate unit head Herry Heryawan said that based on the information provided in the report, Jakarta Police officers decided on Saturday to arrest Daud, Rahim Rettob, Rizal Rettob and Abdul Harris Madanar.

'€œThe assault victim'€™s name is Deni Rizkat,'€ Herry said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Daud is a coordinator for Southeast Maluku organization Kei Youth Generation (Amkei), a group formerly led by the notorious Jakarta gang leader and murder convict, John Kei. The organization provides '€œdebt collection'€ and '€œprotection services'€ to businesses in Jakarta.

The name '€œKei'€ is taken from the Kei Islands, an area in the southeastern part of Maluku Province.

Daud was also once registered as the head of the Gerindra Party'€™s legal aid society, and is an associate of former gang leader and extortion convict Hercules Rozario Marshal.

Herry said police had questioned a number of witnesses and were currently preparing dossiers for submission to the Jakarta Prosecutor'€™s Office.

The Jakarta Police named the four suspects and charged them under Article 170 of the Criminal Code with group persecution resulting in injury, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of five-and-a-half years in prison.

A recent report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranked Jakarta dead last in a 50-city survey of safety. The EIU calculated the score by assessing urban safety and security in four categories: digital security, health security, infrastructure safety and personal safety. Jakarta ranked 45th in the personal safety category.

Previously, Martinus dismissed the findings and said '€œas far as I know, Jakarta is a safe city'€, stressing that police had a high crimes-solved rate.