BNI Bekasi robbed

JAKARTA (JP): Six men robbed the Bekasi branch of Bank Negara Indonesia early Wednesday morning and took away a safe containing Rp 100 million in cash and important documents.

Bekasi Police chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Wahyu Handoyo said the robbers arrived at the bank on Jl. Sudirman, Bekasi Barat, at about 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

"The robbers disarmed the security guard, Ismail, tied his hands up with wire, broke into the bank and escaped with the bank's safe containing Rp 100 million and important documents," Wahyu told reporters.

According to Ismail's testimony, Wahyu said, Ismail had been on duty early Wednesday morning, when suddenly three men approached him and held him up at gunpoint. They tied him up and threw a trash can over his head so that he could not see anything.

The three other men, Wahyu said, held up at gunpoint a man identified as Marzuki, the owner of a shop nearby the bank.

The robbers used a bolt-cutter to cut through the huge chains that secured the entrance to the bank and took off with the bank's safe, which had not been attached to the wall.

"We are still investigating the case," Wahyu said. (ylt)