Burglary at BI

Some cash in dollars and rupiah as well as several papers were reported missing in a mysterious robbery on Tuesday at the protocol division of the tightly-guarded central bank, Bank Indonesia, on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta.

According to police reports, the robbers forcibly opened lockers of 12 desks in the room.

An employee named Arjo discovered what had happened at about 6:30 a.m. The office opens at 7 a.m. He reported it to the security division, which later contacted the Gambir Police subprecinct.

The protocol division is located in the Thamrin building, where the central bank's board of directors work. It manages protocol affairs, including arranging work-related travel for the board of directors.

However, there was no explanation offered about the lost papers nor the motive of the robbery. Gambir Police could not confirm the amount of cash stolen because the employees had not reported it.

Central bank spokesman Erwin Riyanto dismissed the possibility of the loss of important documents.

"All documents here must be submitted for storage in the safe after office hours. There was no documents missing in the incident. Only some cash belonging to the employees. It's only a minor robbery, it could happen in any office," he told reporters.

However, he said that the central bank would tighten its security in the near future.

On Oct. 16, burglars broke into the secretariat of the House of Representatives Special Committee and rifled through documents.

No documents or valuables were reported missing. However, the police have yet to close the case. -- JP