Bogus policeman steals motorcycle

JAKARTA (JP): City police are currently looking for a criminal believed to have pretended to be a policeman who deceived a motorcyclist and made away with his RX King motorcycle in South Jakarta.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang said the culprit, who was wearing a police uniform, stopped Achmad, the motorcyclist, on Monday evening on Jl. Sisingamangaraja because as his motorcycle headlight was broken.

The "policeman" insisted that Achmad was violating a traffic regulation and asked him to settle the matter at the South Jakarta police precinct, even though Achmad told the officer that he was just ticketed at the Pancoran interchange by another policeman for a similar offense.

On the way to the police precinct, however, the officer ordered Achmad to buy cigarettes from a nearby stall. When Achmad reached the stall, the officer immediately started the motorcycle and sped away.

Feeling cheated, Achmad reported the incident to City Police headquarters.

"Possibly he fell victim to a bad officer or a man who was pretending to be a police officer," Aritonang said. (emf)