Dept. Store owner's relative kidnapped, Rp 7b ransom<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A man was kidnapped on Saturday evening,
\napparently because he was mistaken for his brother, owner of the
\ncountry's largest retail chain PT Matahari Putra Prima, a police
\nofficer said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bahrul Alam said that
\nBill Dharmawan, the younger brother of Hari Dharmawan, was
\nkidnapped and his abductors have demanded a ransom of Rp 7
\nbillion (US$777,000).<\/p>\n
Bill was believed to have been kidnapped at about 7:30 p.m. at
\nKelapa Gading Mall in North Jakarta after he and his son Yeri
\nDharmawan had been shopping there.<\/p>\n
According to Yeri, his father asked him to go home in their
\ncar while Bill met friends at the mall.<\/p>\n
\"I will go home by taxi later,\" Bill was quoted by Yeri as
\nsaying.<\/p>\n
However, Bill never returned home.<\/p>\n
Realizing that his father was missing, Yeri filed a report
\nwith North Jakarta Police on Monday.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Bill's son-in-law, Agus Tumewu received a phone
\ncall from Bill's kidnapper, requesting a ransom.<\/p>\n
\"Agus received two calls from a man through his cellular phone
\non Tuesday,\" Anton said.<\/p>\n
He said that police had summoned Hari to be questioned as a
\nwitness.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that we can question him soon, but he is currently
\nstill in Makassar, South Sulawesi,\" Anton said.<\/p>\n
Anton suspected that the kidnappers may hope to get the ransom
\nfrom Hari as it is unlikely that his 57-year-old brother would be
\nable to pay the amount.<\/p>\n
Bill, a resident of Jl. Puspa Gading, Kelapa Gading Permai
\nhousing complex, North Jakarta, is a private businessman.<\/p>\n
\"Bill has several businesses, including a property business,
\nbut it seems that he would not be able to pay the Rp 7 billion
\nransom,\" Anton said.<\/p>\n
\"We're sure that money is the motive behind the kidnapping.
\nThe kidnappers probably hope that Hari will help pay the ransom,\"
\nAnton said.<\/p>\n
He said police have set up a special team, led by North
\nJakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Andi Chairuddin, to investigate
\nthe case.<\/p>\n
The team has questioned several witnesses, including Agus
\nTumewu, a businessman in Pecenongan, Central Jakarta, who may be
\nknown by the kidnappers.<\/p>\n
Several of the victim's close friends, identified as Yusuf and
\nRicky, and his secretary Uli Siregar, have also been questioned
\nby the team, he said.<\/p>\n
Bill's wife has not yet been questioned, as she has not
\nrecovered from the distress caused by her husband's abduction,
\nAnton revealed.<\/p>\n
He said that police had also cooperated with state-owned
\ntelecommunication firm PT Telkom to trace the phone calls
\nreceived by Agus.<\/p>\n
He hoped that the public would be able to provide some
\ninformation regarding the whereabouts of Bill, who is 168
\ncentimeters tall, weighs 75 kilograms and has black hair.<\/p>\n
He said the victim was wearing a yellow shirt and brown denim
\njeans when he was last seen at Kelapa Gading Mall. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dept-store-owners-relative-kidnapped-rp-7b-ransom-1447893297",
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