Pitung was born in Pengumben, a slum in Rawabelong (near modern-day Palmerah Station) to

Bung Piung and Mbak Pinah;[1] he was the fourth son born to the couple.[2] His real name was
Salihoen. Based on oral tradition, the name Pitung is derived from pituan pitulung (Javanese for
"group of seven").[3] As a child, Salihoen studied at Hadji Naipin's Islamic boarding school.[1] Aside
from learning his prayers, he also received training in pencak and situational awareness.[2]
Pitung's criminal career started after money earned from the sale of his father's goats was stolen
in Tanah Abang. His father forced him to compensate the loss. As a result, he chased down the
thief. This incident made him known as a jago, or a brave person. Later Pitung invited his friends
– Dji-ih, Rais, and Jebul – to rob Hadji Sapiudin, a wealthy landowner who lived northeast of
Batavia, on 30 July 1892. One telling has it that the four men posed as civil servants and stated
that Sapiudin was under investigation for fraud, but offered to keep his money in safekeeping.
Sapiudin surrendered the money, unaware that he was being conned.[1] The police suspected
that the robbers had used guns to threaten the house owner and neighbors.[4] Some tellings have
Pitung stealing money only from rich persons who had collaborated with the Dutch colonial
overlords.[2]
According to the daily Hindia Olanda, on 18 July 1892 a schout (kind of police officer) in Tanah
Abang rummaged through Bitoeng's house in one of villages of Sukabumi.[a][5] During the search,
a black coat, a police uniform, and a cap were discovered. Those items were allegedly used by
Pitung and his comrades to rob a village.[6] The next month, 125 guilders were found concealed
under the house. The money was supposedly from the robbery of a Mrs. De C. and Hadji
Sapiudin.[4]
His crimes received the attention of A.W.V. Hinne, a police officer who was stationed in Batavia
from 1888 to 1912. Hinne wanted to capture Pitung and had caught him once. However, Pitung
had escaped with the help of his gang members; folklore attributes the escape to Pitung's
magical powers. Reports differ on what happened next. One account gives Hinne convincing
Pitung's former teacher Hadji Naipin to reveal what talisman (jimat) gave Pitung his powers.
Another version has Hinne asking Pitung's comrades (excluding Dji-ih, who was highly loyal to
Pitung) the same question; these comrades betrayed Pitung. The jimat itself differs depending on
the retelling. One source says it was his kris (a kind of dagger). Another says it was his hair, and
his power would weaken if his hair was cut. Some sources suggest that Pitung would lose his
supernatural powers if he was pelted with rotten eggs.[7]
Eventually, Hinne was able to kill Pitung. According to the report in the Dutch-
language Locomotief, the historical Pitung was caught in an ambush and killed by Hinne and
several assistants;[8] some Indonesian tellings indicate that Pitung's family had been arrested and
tortured to draw him out.[2] A detail found in folklore, but not present in accounts from the period,
is that Hinne shot and killed Pitung with a golden bullet.[7]
Pitung was buried in a cemetery in Sukabumi (now part of Jakarta).[5] Hinne was awarded the
title Broeder van de Nederlandsche Leeuw (Brother of the Dutch Lion) for his part in stopping
Pitung.[9] When the city began to develop, most of the cemetery where Pitung was buried was
built over with the head offices of Telkom Indonesia. However, the grave remained undisturbed
and was often the site of pilgrimages for those seeking mystical powers.[5] Another mythic figure,
a Moluccan named Jonker, is buried nearby.[10]