Alleged motorcycle thieves nabbed

JAKARTA: Police apprehended six alleged members of a gang of motorcycle thieves believed to have stolen hundreds of motorcycles since 1998. At least seven other gang members are still at large.

A detective with the city police said on Tuesday officers seized three homemade pistols, a dozen bullets and four motorcycles from the six suspects.

Speaking from detention, alleged gang leader Rustam Effendy, or Pendi, 38, said two or three members of the gang would pull up alongside victims and threaten them with pistols.

"But we never injured the victims," he said.

The gang operated six nights a week, taking Saturdays off, between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Pendi said the stolen motorcycles were sold to middlemen for between Rp 2 million (US$235) and Rp 3 million each.

Their area of operation was Jl. Salemba and Jl. Gunung Sahari in Central Jakarta, Jl. Ciledug Raya and Jl. Satrio in South Jakarta, and Jl. Kedoya in West Jakarta.

Five of the six suspects live in Tangerang, Banten, and three of them work as public minivan drivers during the day.

The police said the suspects also broke into houses. -- JP