12 traders arrested for buying stolen fuel

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.