32 hoodlums freed for lack of evidence

JAKARTA (JP): The crackdown on hoodlums across the Greater Jakarta area appears to have born fruit as 49 thugs were netted over the past two weeks.

But over two-thirds of them have been released due to a lack of evidence.

Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said on Sunday that the hoodlums had initially been netted for, among other things, extorting money from traders and food vendors in several traditional markets across Jakarta and its surrounding areas.

"Of the 49, around 17 were arrested and placed in police custody. The remainder were let go as we did not have sufficient evidence to detain them," Makbul told reporters on Sunday.

He added that the police had confiscated sickles, kitchen knives and small sums of money from the hoodlums.

"They were arrested by undercover police officers ... most were caught red-handed extorting money openly from the traders," he said.

The campaign against thugs is being jointly conducted by the Central Jakarta, South Jakarta, North Jakarta, West Jakarta, East Jakarta, Bogor, Bekasi, and Tangerang police forces in cooperation with the Jakarta administration, which has set aside a budget of between Rp 12 billion and Rp 24 billion to finance the month-long operation.

Hoodlums, locally known as preman, have established themselves all over the capital, operating protection rackets in almost every public place, including bus terminals, traditional markets, shopping centers and even road junctions.

Data collected by the city administration reveals that several spots in the city's five mayoralties have been virtually controlled by the thugs for years.

They usually extort illegal levies from traders in the markets, and bus and public minivan drivers at bus terminals, as well as running on-street parking. (ylt)