18 arrested for stealing diesel fuel

18 arrested for stealing diesel fuel

JAKARTA (JP): Military police have arrested 18 people in
Tanjung Priok harbor, North Jakarta, for alleged involvement in a
conspiracy to steal diesel fuel.

Military Police Chief Maj. Gen. Syamsu D. said Saturday they
were believed to have stolen fuel since 1993.

Syamsu, in a press release, said the crime had caused an
estimated financial loss of Rp 24 billion (US$9.6 million) to the
state.

Syamsu said those arrested included the captain and engine
room chief of the Sea Endeavor ship which carried the Indonesian
flag, crew members of a barge and a tug boat. Military police
seized the three vessels for evidence.

Also arrested was a surveyor of PT Indola Para Muda, a
security chief of PT Pertamina Maxus, an off-shore drilling
company, and an officer of PT Wulder, a firm supervising the
solar pump meter.

"They were arrested red-handed at Maxus's dock in Tanjung
Priok on Friday," Syamsu said.

City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said all the
alleged suspects were from companies which cooperated with Maxus
in the supplying and delivering of diesel fuel to Maxus' 18
ships, including the Sea Endeavor.

"For example, if Maxus ordered 100 kiloliters of fuel to be
loaded to the Sea Endeavor, not all of the fuel was loaded to the
ship, because half of the load actually flowed to the barge's
container. The barge then sold the fuel off-shore at a lower
price of Rp 190 per liter," Aritonang said.

Syamsu said there were suspicions that military personnel were
involved, "but this was proved wrong".

Meanwhile, the city military Saturday conducted raids on
illicit gambling dens in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta.

Alleged gamblers, consisting of 209 men, 16 women and an army
veteran, were arrested during the raids on an illicit gambling
center at Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta 45 and the Paramount on Jl.
Hayam Wuruk.

City Military Spokesman Lt. Col. D.J. Nachrowi said yesterday
they confiscated gambling paraphernalia, including a roulette
table, a baccarat table and coins as well as Rp 42 million in
cash.

"We also seized valuable goods and documents used by the
alleged gamblers as collateral valued at around Rp 126 million,"
Nachrowi said. (cst)