A group of local gangsters allegedly connected to notorious Jakarta-based mob boss John Kei reportedly stormed a house of gangster Nus Kei in Tangerang City yesterday afternoon, police said, with the former now arrested for allegedly orchestrating the attack.
Nus Kei's house, located at the Green Lake City housing complex in Cipondoh sub-district, was ransacked by a group of at least 15 people, who reportedly carried machetes and firearms during the attack. A video which appeared to have been taken by a neighbor, showing men entering the house, has since circulated on social media.
The gangsters carried on with the invasion despite Nus Kei being away at the time, while his wife and children escaped by hiding upstairs and then running to their next door neighbor.
Tangerang City's Deputy Police Chief Yudhistira Midyahwan said the Green Lake City incident was a continuation from a clash between John Kei and Nus Kei's men in Duri Kosambi, Cengkareng, West Jakarta earlier that day. A man identified as 45-year-old Yustus Dorwing Rahakbau was killed during the Duri Kosambi incident after he was hacked and left bloodied on the street.
"The suspects weren't content with the incident, therefore they stormed Nus Kei's home," Yudhistira said today, adding that the 15 people wore face coverings and were transported in three cars.
Heriyanto, a security officer at Green Lake City, said that one of the gang members came out of a car to open the boom gate at the entrance while another pointed a gun at an officer when they were asked for their ID cards.
When more officers arrived at the scene to close the gate, one car smashed through the gate and wounded a security officer. Additionally, an ojol driver was shot in the foot with a stray bullet during the chaos. Both are expected to make full recoveries.The incident allegedly stemmed from a heated discussion on WhatsApp between John Kei and Nus Kei, who are related, which had ended with them challenging each other last Friday.
John Kei, along with about two dozen of his gang members, were apprehended at their base camp in Bekasi, West Java yesterday evening, and are currently being questioned at the Jakarta Metro Police Headquarters.
Jakarta Metro Police Chief Nana Sudjana said John Kei ordered his men to kill Nus Kei and Yustus, who's also identified by his alias ER, citing alleged disappointment over unequal distribution of proceeds from a real estate deal.
"We opened the cellphone belonging to a suspect, in which there was an order from John Kei to his subordinates, an indicator of a vicious consensus of a planned murder against Nus Kei and ER," Nana said in a press conference broadcasted live on YouTube this afternoon.
Born John Refra Kei, John is dubbed as "The Godfather of Jakarta" due to his mafia-like business networks and reputation of being largely untouched by law enforcement authorities. He was released on parole in December 2019 from Nusakambangan Prison after being imprisoned since 2012 for the murder of steel businessman Tan Harry Tantono AKA Ayung.
John Kei was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in the premeditated murder. Ayung and John Kei became close friends and business affiliates after they met during their detainment at the Jakarta Metro Police HQ in 2007. In January 2012, Ayung was found dead with at least 23 stab wounds at Swiss-Belhotel in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta. According to reports, John Kei ordered the hit on Ayung over an unpaid debt and was watching as his men were killing the businessman.