Marines' raid on gambling den 'unlawful'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A Marine initiative to arrest on Friday 39
\ngamblers at the Harco Mangga Dua shopping center in Mangga Dua
\nsubdistrict, West Jakarta, is outside the bounds of the law, a
\npolice spokesman said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said the arrest was unlawful, as only
\npolice officers were authorized to make arrests.<\/p>\n
\"If we (police) proceed with the prosecution, the case will be
\nannulled by the suspects' lawyers because of its unlawfulness,\"
\nLubis said.<\/p>\n
He said homes and buildings in the capital were private
\nproperty, and that not all officers had the authority to conduct
\na raid, or make an arrest.<\/p>\n
\"All officers are allowed to pitch in information and facts
\nfor an investigation, but only police officers can make the
\narrest,\" he said.<\/p>\n
When asked about the relevance of a recent statement by city
\npolice chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman that city residents
\ncould make a citizen's arrest over drug use, Zainuri said the two
\nsituations were not similar.<\/p>\n
\"What the police chief meant was that people make the arrest,
\nbut then hand suspects over to the police, who are the rightful
\nauthorities,\" Lubis said.<\/p>\n
Officers of the Indonesian Navy's Main Naval Base (Lantamal)
\nraided on Friday the third floor of Harco Mangga Dua shopping
\ncenter. They arrested 39 gamblers and seized Rp 200 million
\n(US$23,530), as well as gambling equipment.<\/p>\n
Lubis said he was unaware of the fate of the detainees or the
\nwhereabouts of the evidence.<\/p>\n
\"We have no idea about the suspects, the money or the gambling
\nequipment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
One of the gamblers, who said he had just been released, spoke
\non Friday with a reporter from Pos Kota daily at the latter's
\noffice.<\/p>\n
The reporter, who requested anonymity, said the gambler
\nstarted laughing when telling the reporter of his release. He
\nquoted the gambler as saying that the money was \"gone...
\nsomewhere between the Navy and the police officers\".<\/p>\n
Chief of the Navy's Second Main Naval Base Commodore La Ode
\nDayan said on Friday that he had received information that one of
\nhis \"boys was involved in the gambling\".<\/p>\n
\"So we tracked it down. None of my members were involved, but
\nwe did apprehend the 39 gamblers, Rp 200 million and the gambling
\nequipment, which we plan to surrender to city police for further
\ninvestigation,\" La Ode said.<\/p>\n
La Ode could not be reached on Saturday for comments on the
\ndetainment status of the gamblers. (04\/ylt)<\/p>",
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