Bali cow rustlers arrested<\/p>\n
I. Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
Police in Bali arrested a 13-member gang of burglars on Monday
\nfor stealing 28 cows and terrorizing villagers.<\/p>\n
The arrest of the suspects, who were all Balinese residents,
\nwas made after a one-week-long operation launched in three
\nisolated villages near the town of Buleleng.<\/p>\n
The police also confiscated the 28 stolen cows.<\/p>\n
The suspects were finally captured at their hideout and were
\ntaken away to be interrogated by local police.<\/p>\n
"Seven of the suspects were arrested today (Monday), the rest
\non Saturday and Sunday. We are still questioning them to find out
\nall about their operation," Buleleng Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr.
\nM. Syafei said here on Monday.<\/p>\n
The gang specialized in stealing livestock, particularly one
\ntype of highly valued Balinese-breed of cow, and had stolen
\ndozens of cows from the mountainous villages of Kalopaksa,
\nPangkung Paruk, Ularan, in Seririt subdistrict, some 120
\nkilometers northwest of Denpasar.<\/p>\n
The burglars had openly threatened villagers, often stoning
\nvillagers and ransacking several of their houses to ensure they
\nkept mum.<\/p>\n
"We have been told of several houses that were ransacked, so
\nwe launched an intelligence operation to gather any available
\nfield data on the incidents. It turned out that the incidents
\nwere closely related to a gang of burglars that targeted the
\narea. I immediately ordered my men to put an end to the gang's
\nraids as soon as possible," Syafei said.<\/p>\n
He later described the operation as both difficult and
\nexhausting. Police officers involved in the operation had not
\nonly to deal with frightened villagers, who were too scared to
\nvoluntarily offer any information to the police, but also with
\nthe area's treacherous terrain.<\/p>\n
The isolated villages were located in mountains to the west of
\nBuleleng. The area was full of rugged tracks, steep hills, deep
\nravines and hot, humid temperatures.<\/p>\n
"Twenty kilometers of uphill trekking was a daily routine for
\nmy men during the operation. The hardest part was the first three
\ndays, when we tried to locate the gang's hideout," Syafei said.<\/p>\n
The hideout was located on a hidden plateau, which was
\nencircled with thick woods, dozens of kilometers away from the
\nvillages.<\/p>\n
The gang kept the stolen cows there before transporting them
\nto Denpasar or East Java.<\/p>\n
Earlier last month, police in East Nusa Tenggara arrested at
\nleast seven armed military personnel for stealing six cows
\nbelonging to residents of the village of Sulamu, some 100
\nkilometers from the provincial capital of Kupang.<\/p>\n
The soldiers were caught "red-handed" along with seven
\ncivilian suspects. They were later discharged from the military.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-cow-rustlers-arrested-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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