45 people, one serviceman arrested in gambling den raid

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)