Company executive caught smuggling gun

JAKARTA (JP): Customs officials at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport arrested a company executive for smuggling a gun into the country shortly after his arrival here from Singapore on Tuesday night.

Sasunto, 37, who identified himself as an executive director of Gasindo Corporation, at first refused to say what was hidden inside an LD/CD video music player he had brought into the country. Airport security officials had earlier spotted the gun during routine security checks, Jakarta Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang said on Wednesday.

Aritonang told reporters that the man was an Indonesian citizen who lived on Jl. Cideng Timur in Central Jakarta and at #4 Chamden Park in Singapore.

Sasunto told police that he had a valid license for the weapon issued by the Singaporean authorities, the officer said.

"Even if he has a license, he should have handed the weapon over to the pilot and then reported it immediately to customs officials at the destination airport," he added.

Aritonang said the suspect arrived on board Singapore Airlines flight number SQ 162.

No information was available about the company that Sasunto works for.

The weapon, a Colt .9 caliber, had been wrapped in aluminum foil and brown adhesive tape and placed inside the LD/CD player.

"It seems that he deliberately wrapped the weapon up in a way designed to get it through the metal detector unnoticed," Aritonang said.

Sasunto was taken into city police custody after first being questioned at the Tangerang Police precinct. (emf)