Bank client robbed of Rp 20 million

Bank client robbed of Rp 20 million

JAKARTA (JP): Two unidentified armed men robbed a bank
customer of Rp 20 million (US$8,510) in cash in the parking lot
of a leasing company building on Jl. Juanda, Central Jakarta,
yesterday.

Central Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Abubakar Nataprawira
said that the bank customer, Andreas Hutagalung, got out of his
jeep in the parking lot of PT Gama Multi Finance and saw that the
vehicle's rear left tire was flat.

"Andreas was suddenly approached by one of the two suspects.
The man threatened him with a machete, asking him for the bag
that contained the money he had just withdrawn," Abubakar said.
One of the robbers then grabbed the bag from Andreas.

Andreas' driver, identified as Syamsudin, was afraid to help
his boss because the other man, who was on a motorcycle, fired a
shot into the air, he said. The robbers escaped soon after
grabbing Andreas' bag.

A police officer at the Central Jakarta police precinct said
that judging from the shell found at the robbery site, the gun
was a 32 millimeter Baretta. This type of gun is usually used by
security guards.

Syamsudin presumed that the tire was punctured by one of the
robbers when the jeep stopped at a traffic light on Jl. Merdeka
Barat, he said.

Andreas, the finance manager of PT Bina Ika Tobala of South
Jakarta, had just withdrawn the money from the Cut Mutia branch
of Bank BNI on Jl. Cut Mutia in Menteng, Central Jakarta when he
and his driver realized they were being followed by the two men.

Over the past two months, three robberies took place after the
victims withdrew money from branches of Bank BNI.

On Aug. 1, Betty, a 66-year-old woman, was robbed by two
unidentified men, one armed with a gun, of Rp 40 million after
she had withdrawn the money from the Bank BNI on Jl. Gatot
Subroto in South Jakarta. She was robbed in front of her house on
Jl. Bulungan in South Jakarta after being followed by the two
men.

Christa R. Siahaan, an employee of the Ministry of Health, was
robbed by two unidentified men of jewelry worth Rp 9 million and
Rp 21 million in cash in front of a restaurant on Jl. Kramat Raya
on Aug. 29. She was being followed by the two men after she
withdrew the money from the Matraman branch of Bank BNI in East
Jakarta.

The following day, Siswanto, an employee of the State Minister
of Youth Affairs and Sports office, was robbed by two
unidentified men of Rp 110 million in cash in the parking lot of
the office, on Jl. Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta. He withdrew
the money from the Senayan branch of Bank BNI.

Abubakar said the police are still investigating whether the
series of robberies were connected to each other or were
committed by the same people.

He called on people to ask for police protection when
withdrawing large sums of money from banks.

"We also ask bank officers to suggest to their customers to
ask for police help when withdrawing money from the bank," he
said. (jun)