Bus robber ends day of holdups in custody

JAKARTA (JP): Muliadi Manurung was having a good day at work until he got his comeuppance late Saturday.

After committing a series of holdups of passengers on public transportation vehicles plying the Pulogadung-Cikarang route, 39- year-old Muliadi was nabbed by local Bekasi residents on Saturday.

He was fortunate people did not take the law into their own hands, the case in several recent mobbings of suspected criminals.

He was safely handed over to officers at the nearby police station for further investigation.

According to Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis, Muliadi's three accomplices escaped in the confusion after they were spotted robbing passengers on a minivan.

"From Muliadi's backpack, police found cash totaling Rp 4 million (US$460) and an Ericsson cellular phone," Lubis said on Sunday.

The suspect admitted to police the contents of the bag were from the robberies.

At 11:30 p.m., Muliadi and his three friends got into the public minivan heading to Cikarang from Pulogadung, Lubis said.

"He said his group often operated late at night and only targeted public vehicles passing the same route," he added.

After remaining seated for several minutes, one of the men suddenly pulled out a machete.

He told the passengers to obey his instructions, threatening them with a warning his accomplices were armed and would hurt anyone who resisted.

While one of the men kept watch, the others moved from one passenger to the next, forcibly removing jewelry, wristwatches and wallets.

According to the minivan's driver Alparet Sihotang, none of his nine passengers dared fight back, Lubis said.

Alparet told the police the four robbers were well known to drivers plying the Pulogadung-Cikarang route.

He said the men often threatened the drivers.

It only took 15 minutes for the group to remove the valuables and cash from the passengers before they ordered Alparet to stop.

But before they could jump out of the minivan at a spot in Cakung, one of the passengers, Elisa, a local female resident, shouted for help.

Her cries alerted local residents. They rushed to the minivan and caught Muliadi, who was still holding his machete and the bag.

His accomplices disappeared in the darkness. (emf)