'Buntut' coupon sellers arrested
BOGOR (JP): Local police have arrested seven sellers of judi buntut coupons in several raids over the past few days, an officer said.
According to Bogor Police chief Lt. Col. Budi Gunawan, his men also apprehended an owner of a gambling den and confiscated 40 slot machines.
Gunawan said the seven people arrested in Baranang Siang bus terminal were employees of coupon agents Tosiba, Sampurna and Marimas.
"The dossiers of the eight suspects have been handed over to the Bogor Prosecutor's Office. They will be charged under Article 303 of the Criminal Code," he said.
The article carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail or a fine of Rp 25 million (US$3,571).
In a related development, the Bogor mayoralty ordered seven businessmen on Wednesday to stop operating slot machines following an instruction by West Java Governor Nuriana dated June 24 which orders regents and mayors in the province to abolish gambling.
The mayoralty's sociopolitical affairs head, E. Rukanda, said the mayoralty had summoned the seven businessmen to discuss the matter.
"By today only five of them had promised to stop operating their slot machines. The remaining two businessmen have yet to respond to our summons," Rukanda said.
The mayoralty will summon the two gambling owners again, he said. Police action will be taken against them if they ignore the summons.
Rukanda said gambling operators located in several areas, including on Jl. Dewi Sartika and Jl. Sawojajar and the Nyiraja Parmas and Baranang Siang areas, had been told to close down their dens.
"If they do not close their dens, we're afraid that residents will be angry and destroy the premises," Rukanda said.
He appealed to the businessmen, who have allegedly operated the machines for three months, to change the machines with others that have no gambling factors.
He reiterated that the mayoralty would abolish all kinds of gambling, including chess games on which people gamble, and judi buntut.
He said he received a report that many schoolboys recently started buying the white gambling coupons.
"We hope that officials can watch the gambling dens, especially those where many schoolboys participate in gambling," Rukanda said.
To eliminate gambling, the mayoralty intends to circulate memos to neighborhood chiefs advising them that gambling is prohibited. "We'll call on the public to report to the police if they find any gambling going on," he added.
Togel or judi buntut is a highly popular game among gamblers in many towns and villages across the country.
Gamblers place bets on two or four numbers which are announced every two to three days by their operators. Sources say the number of operators has proliferated in recent months.
The minimum bet is Rp 1,000 (15 U.S. cents). If two numbers match, the bettor wins 60 times the bet; the payout is 250 times the bet for four correct numbers.
Some gambling operators and coupon sellers claim that the selected numbers are based on numbers from gambling operators in Singapore.(21/jun)