Jakarta – Villagers in the Indonesian island of Madura have lynched three policemen to death believing them to be part of a wave of "ninja" murders in East Java, a press report said Monday.

One was lynched on Saturday while two others were killed the following day as they ventured out of their hiding place near the village of Ombul-ombul in western Madura, the Kompas daily said.

The three policemen from Surabaya, the main town in East Java, had gone with six local police to Ombul-Ombul on Saturday with an arrested thief to try to track down his fence for stolen motorcycles, the daily said. The suspected fence however escaped arrest and yelled he was being pursued by "ninjas."

Hundreds of villagers alerted by the shouts mobbed the group of policeman ignoring their protestations that they were policemen. One of the policeman died on the spot while two others were killed the next morning when villagers caught them emerging from the hiding places where they had spent the night.

The police have sought the help of the local Moslem leaders to help find the suspected thief and fence but no arrest has yet been made, Kompas said.