Bogus detectives rob a man

JAKARTA: Three people claiming to be police detectives robbed a passenger aboard a public minivan plying Kodamar-Senen route on Saturday morning.

According to police reports, the detective-look-alikes were bogus. They ordered Eman Mulyadi, 36, a resident of Jl. Tengah, Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, to take out his wallet and show them his ID card when the minivan was driving along Jl. Letjen. Suprapto, near Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta.

The three asked for the card under the guise of trying to identify whether or not Eman was a suspect they were looking for.

In seeing that Eman was carrying a lot of money, they threatened him with a knife, took his wallet and fled the scene.

Eman lost Rp 600,000 (US$70) in the robbery. He reported the crime to the Senen police subprecinct.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo warned the public to be watchful of criminals, who often pretended to be police officers to commit offenses.

"Don't hesitate to ask them show their police IDs to ensure whether they are real policemen or bogus ones," he said. -- JP