'Never leave your home, office empty'<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
When the lights are left on all day, the gate remains locked and
\ngutters are dry for days, burglars will quickly surmise that the
\npremises are empty.<\/p>\n
But before committing their crime, they will ensure that
\nnobody is inside by telephoning the premises. When nobody picks
\nup the phone, they assume that no one is inside the building.<\/p>\n
How do they get the phone number? Simply dial 108, state
\ntelecommunications company PT Telkom's directory assistance, and
\nask for the phone number for the address.<\/p>\n
When all preparations are done, it is show time for burglars
\ntargeting empty houses and offices.<\/p>\n
"We sometimes knock on the door three times, pretending to be
\nvisitors to the house or office to ensure that nobody is inside
\nthe building," said Hery Priyadi, 35.<\/p>\n
Hery is one of two suspected burglars who has admitted to
\nusing such a modus operandi. He was arrested by police last week
\nwith accomplice Andi Susandi, 33, when reportedly trying to sell
\nstolen goods at Manggarai flea market in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"We entered a house or office after breaking open the lock on
\nthe gate with a screwdriver," said Hery.<\/p>\n
Hery and Andi used to operate between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., when
\nneighborhoods are quiet after the residents leave their homes to
\ngo to work.<\/p>\n
Wearing trousers, long-sleeved shirts, ties and polished
\nshoes, the pair would enter a building and take away small items
\nfrom the office or the house.<\/p>\n
They claim they worked as burglars for only a month and only
\nstole goods from at least eight empty houses and offices in
\nSeptember alone.<\/p>\n
A senior police detective at city police headquarters in
\ncharge of the investigation, Comr. Riad, believes that Hery and
\nAndi have been operating in the capital for a long time.<\/p>\n
"They are old players in the business. They can steal small
\nitems from two to three houses or offices per day," he said.<\/p>\n
According to Riad, burglars take away portable items such as
\nfax machines, computers, printers, TVs and other electronic
\ndevices that can be easily transported by motorcycle.<\/p>\n
"They usually sell stolen goods at flea markets in Manggarai
\nand Taman Puring in South Jakarta and Senen in Central Jakarta,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Riad has called on people to be vigilant as burglary has
\nbecome rampant.<\/p>\n
"However, few people report such incidents to the police as
\nmost of them dismiss the losses they suffer," he said.<\/p>\n
Riad said police were still looking for other groups, adding
\nthat several groups specialized in the burglary of empty houses
\nand offices.<\/p>\n
"The burglars know each other, but they only work in a team of
\ntwo using a motorcycle during their actions," he said.<\/p>\n
Burglary and theft top the list of crimes in the capital this
\nyear followed by auto theft in second place.<\/p>\n
During the first six months in 2003, a total of 2,955 theft
\ncases were reported to the police. Last year, a total of 4,567
\ntheft cases were reported, a decline of 10 percent as against
\n5,093 in 2001.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/never-leave-your-home-office-empty-1447893297",
"image": ""
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