The murder of 52-year-old vocational school teacher Nurdin last week shocked many, especially since it is believed he was killed by his own driver, 23-year-old Hermanto. Hermanto fled after the killing last Wednesday and remained a fugitive until police tracked him down and arrested him at Kalideres Terminal in West Jakarta on Saturday. Police have now given a more complete picture of the crime, including Hermanto’s motive for murder.
According to Jatiasih Sector Police Chief Commissioner, the incident began after Nurdin had finished exercising in a park in Kelapa Gading last Wednesday morning. After his run, he went to take a rest in his car.
“When the victim was resting, the perpetrator asked to borrow Rp 100,000 to buy phone credit,” Aslan said yesterday, as quoted by Tempo.
However, Nurdin apparently refused the request quite angrily, upsetting Hermanto. Police say the driver then grabbed a shirt from the car’s trunk, went into the back seat of the car and used the shirt to strangle his boss, who was sitting in the front. Nurdin’s struggled so violently that his kicking feet cracked the windshield, but eventually he fell unconscious.
Amazingly, police say Hermanto then drove Nurdin back to his employer’s home in the Jatiasih subdistrict of Bekasi, where he proceeded to strangle him to death.
Nurdin’s 50-year-old maid Atun did not see the murder take place but noticed the car’s cracked windshield. She asked Hermanto what had happened to their boss and the car. Growing suspicious, she tried to call for Nurdin’s wife. Hermanto then allegedly beat Atun with the car’s handle lock to silence her and even stepped on her neck until she fell unconscious (fortunately police said Atun is recovering now).
Police arrived on the scene soon after but Hermanto had already fled. He managed to elude police for three days until he was arrested without resistance in Kalideres on Saturday night. He has been charged with murder and could face up to 15 years in prison.
