12 traders arrested for buying stolen fuel

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu

The Cirebon Military Police have arrested 12 local traders on charges of stealing solar and premium fuel from tankers owned by Petramina, the state-owned oil company, at its distribution depot near Balongan.

Lt. Col. Soekir, chief of the military police, said the 12 traders were netted in a sting operation which was coordinated with personnel from Pertamina's Distribution Unit III.

"We have also seized 5,000 liters of premium, a unit of Suzuki pick-up used to collect the premium from thieves -- the suspects and material evidence will be handed over to the Indramayu Police Precinct for the further legal process, " said Soekir.

Separately, Sr. Comr. Sardjono, chief of the Cirebon City Police, pledged a further investigation, and to bring their cases to court in an attempt to help combat overall fuel theft, which has been on the rise.

"We are waiting for the hand over of the suspects to be processed further," he said.

He declined to comment as to why local police did not join the operation. Reliable sources, however, said the police and servicemen did not actually take part in the raid, because they, too, were involved in the theft.

Last Thursday police ransacked the Military Police office in Indramayu to protest the arrest of Insp. Jhonson, chief of the Sliyeg Police Subprecinct, along with his wife and two other servicemen. They were taken to a location where fuel thieves sold their stolen fuel to traders.