Dodgy chauffeurs take employers for a ride<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
If car owners think they can sit back and relax after paying
\nsomeone to chauffeur them around, they might need to think again
\nas an auto theft syndicate has deployed a new method of making
\noff with their vehicles.<\/p>\n
City police said on Friday that they had recently arrested
\nfour syndicate members who had gained employment as chauffeurs in
\nthe capital but absconded with their bosses' cars after one or
\ntwo weeks of working.<\/p>\n
City police General Crimes Unit chief Sr. Comr. Mathius
\nSalempang said that the four were from outside of the capital,
\nand used fake Jakarta identity cards in order to secure
\nemployment as drivers in the city.<\/p>\n
\"We have detained the suspects, and have recovered 10 stolen
\ncars from them. They have admitted that they come from Central
\nand West Java, and were recruited by a gang specializing in
\nstealing cars,\" said Mathius.<\/p>\n
The syndicate would provide its new recruits with identity
\ncards and driving licenses once they arrived in Jakarta, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"They use fake addresses so that the police will not be able
\nto track them down,\" said Mathius.<\/p>\n
It is common knowledge that a Jakarta ID card can be had
\nwithin the space of one week for between Rp 100,000 and Rp
\n200,000.<\/p>\n
With an identity card in hand, it is easy to get a driving
\nlicense without having to sit the test if one is willing to pay
\nmore than the normal fee, which is only around Rp 150,000.<\/p>\n
After getting IDs and driving licenses for their men, the
\nsyndicate would then seek out prospective employers through
\nnewspaper ads and by way of word of mouth, Mathius said.<\/p>\n
It is not difficult to find car owners that need drivers in
\nJakarta as according to figures from the city police there are
\naround 4.5 million cars on the city's roads, with between 300 and
\n500 new private cars being registered every day.<\/p>\n
Mathius said that police believed that dozens of bogus drivers
\ncould have gained employment in this way, and were now only
\nwaiting for the chance to make off with their employers' cars.<\/p>\n
\"With the information we have obtained from the suspects, we
\nare now trying to locate the remaining gang members, including
\nthe leaders ...\", he said.<\/p>\n
Mathius warned car owners to be careful when employing new
\ndrivers.<\/p>\n
\"They need to carefully check the identity and address of the
\napplicant. If the address on the ID card doesn't match the real
\naddress, the car owner should contact the police,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Mathius also advised prospective purchasers of used cars to
\ncheck out registration documents and engine serial numbers with
\npolice headquarters to make sure they were not buying stolen
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n
He also said that car owners should insure their vehicles
\nagainst theft.<\/p>",
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