45 people, one serviceman arrested in gambling den raid

JAKARTA (JP): Police said yesterday that they have captured 45 gamblers, an owner of a billiards house and a military officer working as his special guard, in a raid on a pool hall functioning as a gambling den.

Police also detained employees of the billiard house for questioning.

Lt. Col. Latief Rabar, a spokesman for City Police, said the suspects were captured when police raided the New Pacific Billiard house on Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta, West Jakarta, at 11 p.m. Wednesday.

"There were no women among the gamblers," Latief said.

Latief spoke to reporters in the company of Capt. M. Hirdjan, acting chief of the vice unit at the city police headquarters.

Police captured Suwito Darmawan, 29, the owner, Liaw Fit Fan alias David, 25, the billiard ball collector, and Darmin, 27, collector of commissions from the gamblers, and a military officer whose identity has been withheld by police.

"The 45 gamblers are now in police custody," Latief said.

Wednesday's raid was coined as the biggest ever made by city police this year in terms of the number of people apprehended.

In May, more than 150 gamblers, including some foreigners, were apprehended by the Operation Cleansing team in a raid on a gambling den in Pluit, North Jakarta, conducted by non-police personnel.

Open only four hours a day, between 8 p.m. to 12 p.m., the gambling den reportedly raked in Rp 1.5 million ($698) in commissions everyday.

Police confiscated one billiards table, ten cues and Rp 13.1 million ($6,101) in cash from the gamblers as evidence.

According to Latief the suspects could be charged with violating the criminal law's chapter 303, incurring a maximum of four-years in prison and Rp 10 million ($4,657) in fines. (jsk)