Bank robbers' godfather shot dead by police
Bank robbers' godfather shot dead by police
JAKARTA (JP): A man known as the godfather of bank robbers in the city was shot to death yesterday while trying to escape from police custody after showing them the hiding places of his gang members.
Mukayan, better known as Kempes, 26, was shot in the head and left thigh at around 1 a.m. yesterday on Jl. Haji Ali at Kampung Tengah subdistrict, Ciracas, East Jakarta, said a police officer.
"He kept on running, ignoring two warning shots," city police spokesman Lt. Iman Haryatna told reporters yesterday.
Iman said Kempes had allegedly led a number of accomplices in robbing people who were leaving banks and carrying large sums of money.
Kempes had a police record, listing him as a wanted bank robber in several other cities in Java.
Kempes, who had been wanted by the Jakarta police since last year, was arrested on the eve of Idul Fitri on Feb. 19 in a relative's hometown of Kampung Tebu in Central Java, Iman said.
According to Iman, Jakarta detectives combed several areas in the province looking for the suspect after police received tips that Kempes was hiding somewhere in Central Java.
Police said the latest robbery committed by Kempes and his accomplices was allegedly on Feb. 5, when he and five gang members robbed a customer of the Bank Danamon branch office on Jl. Raya Bogor, near the Pasar Induk market in East Jakarta.
The group threatened victim, identified as Edison Ginting, who had just left the bank, and immediately left the scene after relieving Edison of Rp 36.5 million (US$15,835) in cash.
"Based on the information we obtained from eyewitnesses, we concluded that the group was led by Kempes, who was also believed to have led other groups in similar crimes at several other places," Iman said.
Knowing that Kempes might have spent his Idul Fitri holidays in his hometown in Central Java, the Jakarta Police then ordered a number of detectives to hunt down Kempes and some of his men in the province two days prior to the Idul Fitri holiday.
Iman said the detectives looked for him many towns and villages, including Demak, Batu, Kudus, Jepara and Tulakan.
At the Tulakan village, the Jakarta detectives were informed about the presence of five of Kempes' people.
With the help of local police, the detectives managed to arrest all five suspects on Feb. 19.
The five, identified as Ahmad Sabili, Usdi, Abdul Manaf, Lasi and Karijan, aged between 24 and 29 years, later informed the police about the whereabouts of Kempes, whom they considered their godfather, Iman said.
Hours later, the detectives rushed to the nearby village of Kampung Tebu and apprehended Kempes. He did not try to resist arrest, Iman said.
The suspects were then brought to Jakarta for further investigation.
In order to find five other members involved in the robbery of Edison, Kempes yesterday was asked by the police to show them their hiding places at Ciracas, Iman said.
"However, while the police officers were looking at the houses of the suspects, Kempes took the opportunity to run away," the spokesman said.
His body was taken to the morgue at Cipto Mangunkusumo general hospital, waiting to be claimed by relatives. (bsr)