Army private caught at the 'Post' for auto theft

JAKARTA (JP): An Army private was apprehended on Sunday while attempting to steal a motorcycle from the basement parking lot of The Jakarta Post's editorial office in Palmerah, Central Jakarta.

The suspect, Private second class Beni Arianto, 22, of the Army's Air Maintenance and Supply Battalion, was set on by scores of angry local residents, who attempted to burn the suspect alive.

Beni was saved from the wrath of the residents by Post staff and security guards, including those from nearby offices. Local police officers eventually arrived at the scene and transported the suspect to the Tanah Abang Police station.

The sole on-duty security guard at the Post, Sudasi, who spotted the attempted theft at around 9:30 a.m. over the office's security cameras, received injuries to his right temple and left ear during a scuffle with Beni after confronting the suspected thief.

Beni's three accomplices were able to flee the scene aboard their two Honda Grand Astrea motorbikes. They were identified by Beni as Anton, Andi and Sulaiman.

"They were my civilian friends who used to hang out at the Rodeo billiard parlor in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta," Beni told officers at the Tanah Abang station.

Major Tasmani, the chief of the suspect's battalion, could not be reached for comment.

The attempted theft on Sunday was the second such incident at the Post in the past several months. In the previous incident, one of the suspects was also apprehended.

Beni and his three accomplices, using a specially modified key known as a T-key, were attempting to steal two motorcycles parked in the basement lot when Sudasi spotted them over security cameras in the office's reception area.

Sudasi rushed to the basement where he was confronted by Beni, who was attempting to steal a Honda Tiger motorcycle. During the fight, the suspect twice jabbed Sudasi in the face with the T- key.

Locals

Local residents and security guards from nearby offices rushed to the scene after being alerted by Sudasi's screams.

The security guard was taken to Aini Eye Hospital in South Jakarta, where he received several stitches before being discharged.

After being questioned for nearly an hour at the Tanah Abang Police station, Beni was taken to Jakarta Police Headquarters for further questioning.

Beni claimed this was the first time he had committed a crime and he did it because he needed money to send to his parents in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra.

Central Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Timur Pradopo said he hoped his men would be able to arrest Beni's three accomplices.

Beni told officers at Jakarta Police Headquarters that besides his Rp 600,000 monthly salary, he also regularly received some Rp 100,000 from each of his three accomplices, who he said were notorious hoodlums in Pondok Gede.

"The money was so that I would keep my mouth shut," the private said.

Separately, a police source said that over the past several months city police had arrested several Army members for various crimes, mostly drug offenses and auto thefts.

"Most of them usually get off easy once they are transferred to Military Police Headquarters. What can we do? We just swallow our pride.

"Drug cases are the worst and most frequent. Almost every other week we arrest them (Army officers) at Kampung Bali in Tanah Abang," the officer said.

The source added that corporal first class Sutrisno, an active member of the Presidential Guard at the Military Police, was arrested for the use and possession of two packets of putauw (heroin) at Kampung Bali on Jan. 4 this year.

"We don't know where this man is now or whether he has been punished accordingly or not." (ylt/bsr)