Bali temple thief caught

DENPASAR, Bali: Police on Monday detained a 16-year-old boy for allegedly stealing a sacred statue and mask at a Hindu temple here.

The suspect has reportedly confessed that he burgled many temples during the past year.

A native of Banyuwangi, East Java, the teenager had allegedly stolen the artifacts from the Tut Desa Temple in Peguyangan village, some 10-kilometers north of here.

The boy confessed to stealing them before dawn on Saturday.

"He wasn't aware that he was spotted by a local villager, who in turn gave us a full physical description of the suspect," General Crimes unit chief First Insp. Herlan Susilo said.

"That's one of the reasons we were able to solve this case quickly," he added.

The suspect also confessed to police that in the past he had committed burglaries at 11 other temples.

The sacred artifacts were usually then sold to a dealer for a price of between Rp 150,000 to Rp 300,000.

The dealer then shipped the artifacts to nearby Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara and then resold them there as antiques.

"We are now tracking down the dealer, and another burglar, who, according to the suspect, assisted him," Herlan explained.(zen)