12 cock-fighting gamblers nabbed

12 cock-fighting gamblers nabbed

A city police team from the On-the-Alert squad have arrested a total of 12 people believed to have bet on cock-fighting behind the railway station in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

During the raid on Wednesday, the team also confiscated five cocks, Rp 105,000 (US$48.80) in cash and a traditional card-and- dice gambling set.

After spending a night in police custody, the 12 were temporarily released with the guarantee of a retired police lieutenant.

"We decided to temporarily release them because we feel pity for their families. Their financial conditions might become worse if they spend longer in detention especially since all of them are people with meager daily earnings," Maj. S. Ikin Achrin from the Crime Investigation Directorate said yesterday.

The dossiers on their case, however, are still being completed for trial. (bsr)