Bogus officer arrested at Blok M

JAKARTA (JP): Kebayoran Baru police detectives in South Jakarta caught a tattoo artist pretending to be a police officer in order to rob two street vendors on Friday morning.

South Jakarta Police chief Col. Nono Suprijono said Simai, 33, and his accomplice, Eko -- who's still at large -- first approached the vendors at the popular Blok M shopping area and accused them of cheating. Simai and Eko were both wearing police uniforms.

Brandishing knives, the crooks then grabbed 10 watches, Rp 27,000 cash and a pair of earrings, Nono said.

"One of the street vendors ran off and reported the case at a nearby police station, whose officers then arrested Simai at the Bulungan bus stop," he said. (09)