Alleged robber shot dead

JAKARTA (JP): A man attempting to grab a bank customer's purse was shot dead by a police officer in Tambora, West Jakarta yesterday.

This marked the fourth attempted robbery of a bank customer or person assigned to withdraw money from a bank this month. Two of the four incidents involved armed robbers.

Last month, the police arrested a total of 32 suspects out of 44 bank customer robberies since January, involving a combined total of Rp 525 million (US$161,540) in cash.

Yesterday's shooting took place in front of the privately- owned BCA bank branch office on Jl. Latumeten on Thursday afternoon when the suspect tried to run away after failing to snatch the customer's purse.

According to city police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna, the bank customer, Roosni, 42, had just left the BCA branch office after paying her telephone bill.

"The suspect probably thought the woman had withdrawn a big amount of money from her account," Iman said.

The shot was fired by the officer, apparently on guard at the area, after three warning shots were ignored by the suspect, he said.

Police found two wallets containing Rp 70,000 in cash on the robber, identified as Andis, 27, a resident of Mekarsari village in Tangerang.

Earlier this week, a robbery attempt was foiled by passers-by when four suspects tried to steal a bag containing Rp 78.68 million from a man about to make a bank deposit in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. The bank was also an outlet of Bank Central Asia. Three of the robbers escaped. (bsr)