Armed robbers seize Rp 30.4 million

JAKARTA (JP): Two armed men robbed Ministry of Information employees of Rp 30.4 million (US$13,130) at the ministry's compound on Jl. Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, yesterday.

Dozens of employees rushed to help their colleagues but could do nothing because one of the robbers fired a gun into the air.

No one was injured.

The employees, Ajisman and Amrullah, said they were about to leave their Kijang van when an athletic-looking man put a sickle around Ajisman's neck and stole the bag containing the money.

They withdrew the money from a bank on Jl. Thamrin. The money belonged to the ministry.

Ajisman, 38, tried to resist and screamed for help but Amrullah, also 38, was too stunned to do anything.

While one criminal stole the money, the other fired shots to frighten those who came to help the victims. The robbers escaped on a Yamaha RX-King motorcycle.

Witnesses said they sped through a red traffic light and headed toward Harmoni.

Witnesses said the suspect with the gun wore a red jacket and dark trousers while the other wore a long-sleeved shirt.

Central Jakarta Police Precinct officers arrived a few hours later to collect information from the victims and witnesses.

"A cartridge found at the scene of crime will be brought to the ballistic laboratory for examination," said Central Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. M. Ibrahim.

Armed robberies of bank customers are on the rise on Jl. Medan Merdeka which houses the Presidential Palace and several government offices.

At least four cases have been reported, none have been solved and no suspects arrested.

The latest robbery took place last Thursday on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan near the United States embassy.

The robbery occurred in front of dozens of people. Four men carrying guns and machetes robbed Rp 30 million from a travel company's director. They killed the director and wounded his aid.

A police source said yesterday's robbery might have been committed by the same people because the crimes were similar.

Many people might be involved, he said.

On Wednesday four unidentified men attacked a private employee who had just withdrawn Rp 26 million. The robbery attempt happened on Jl. Let. Jen. Suprapto, Central Jakarta.

The victim, Sahlan, had just left the Cempaka Putih Bank Central Asia branch by motorbike when four men on two motorbikes intercepted him and snatched his bag which contained money.

The robbers stabbed Sahlan and his scream for help alerted people nearby. The robbers escaped without the money, and Sahlan is in hospital with a serious arm injury.

The police source said city detectives had begun identifying the operation's characteristics and were close to finding the suspects' hiding place.

In a recent operation, police arrested 40 people from two syndicates believed to have been involved in a series of similar robberies in and around the city over the past few years. (bsr)