Collusion feared behind escape of Ecstasy suspect
JAKARTA (JP): A senior police general, a councillor and the public have called on the city police to perform an in-depth investigation to prove that collusion was not behind Friday's escape of a female Ecstasy suspect.
In separate interviews with The Jakarta Post yesterday, the sources said that the police should be able to re-arrest the suspect, caught earlier for possessing a huge amount of Ecstasy pills, in order to corroborate the confession made by the head of the Tangerang police detectives, who is now being detained.
"The police should be able to prove that there's no collusion (between the officer and the woman) in this escape," said Maj. Gen. (ret) Koesparmono Irsan, a former national police chief deputy for operational affairs.
"As of today, I still have no idea why this boy (the officer) did such a sloppy job," Koesparmono said.
The officer, Capt. Ade Sutiana, a graduate of the elite Police Higher Learning Institute (PTIK) here, has been dismissed from his post and detained for further questioning since Friday by interrogators at the Greater Jakarta Police Internal Affairs Division.
He was accused of being negligent, which led to the escape of Zarima, 24, a television actress.
According to Koesparmono, a detective officer like Ade should have learned from a series of similar cases that occurred during the 51 years of the history of the Indonesian police force.
"We never let any of our detainees separate from us, whatever the reason," said the retired general, who is also one of the most senior police detectives.
Therefore, he said, the Jakarta police should clarify what happened behind this escape, which is a heavy blow to the integrity of the police force.
"If I were the boy's supervisor, I would order him to bring the suspect again to me. If, after a certain period of time, he failed, he'd go to jail," Koesparmono said.
Several hours after the suspect was reported escaped, the Jakarta police detained Ade.
Zarima was apprehended on Wednesday along with 29,677 Ecstasy pills worth over Rp 1.78 billion (US$757,700) at her home in the Taman Alfa Indah housing complex in Joglo, West Jakarta.
On the evening of the next day, Capt. Ade was assigned by the Tangerang Police chief, Lt. Col. Djoko Satryo, to escort Zarima and the pills to the Jakarta Police Headquarters for further investigation.
On the way to the police headquarters, Zarima asked officer Ade to let her take a bath at her mother's home, located in the same complex as her own house, saying that she had not bathed since her arrest.
Ade fulfilled the actress' request.
While Ade was talking with her mother in the living room, Zarima used the chance to escape through a second-floor window. Reports said that someone riding on a motorcycle was waiting for her on the other side of the house.
Koesparmono believed that Zarima was still somewhere in the area.
"She is a woman, meaning that someone is hiding her," he said.
Meanwhile, City Councillor Mochamad Aman from the Armed Forces faction regretted the sloppiness exhibited by Ade.
"He probably thought the suspect was telling the truth. But it's absolutely wrong for a detective like him, because he should have known that any police personnel should not believe the suspect just like that," Aman said.
Businessman Fahmi and a reliable source from the film industry questioned the smooth escape of Zarima. They didn't believe that Ade, a senior detective, was so foolish as to let Zarima take a bath.
"What a shame," said Fahmi. "I doubt if officer Ade has nothing to do with this girl."
According to a source from the local film industry who refused to be named, Zarima is a girlfriend of a noted actor of action movies, which he identified only as BP.
"We in the film industry will never believe that her escape was not a plotted one," said the source.
Pending the outcome of his court-martial, officer Ade has not yet been fired from the police force. (bsr/yns)