Councillor's home looted by mob

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

An angry group of creditors continued looting on Sunday the house of Metro city councillor, who is being detained by police as a suspect in an illegal banking operation.

It was not clear why police took no action against the looters.

The looting began on Saturday at the home of Slamet Supardi, a member of the Metro legislative council from the Concern for Nation Functional Party (PKPB) and the director of PT Graha Artha Mashindo (Grasindo).

The group began occupying the house on Thursday evening but refrained from looting. Members said they were creditors of the company that allegedly operated an illegal loans scheme under the guise of a savings and loans cooperative.

Edi, who was minding the residence on Jl. Yos Sudarso, West Metro, said he was powerless to act when dozens of people arrived and took valuables from the property.

"They looked very angry, and I could not stop them," he said.

Arriving with trucks and several cars, the group removed all the household appliances and furniture, including the washing machine, refrigerators, rice cookers, Edi said.

Slamet was arrested on Friday as a suspect in the illegal bank operation at Lampung Police Headquarters. His wife and children have since left the city.

Slamet's neighbors said they had seen the looting of the house, which Slamet reportedly bought for Rp 150 million (US$16,666) a few months ago.

"I don't know what happened to Pak Slamet. This morning I saw people taking goods away from his house," a neighbor said on Sunday.

The police have arrested another Grasindo director, Sucipto, and company commissioner Sanuri, confiscating assets of the company worth around Rp 4.8 billion, and sealing its eight offices in Lampung.

The firm's eight branch office heads -- Yusri Adi, Dwi Haryanto, Tri Anani, Lamingun, Bintoro, Edi, Eli Hartana and Abu Zubaidah -- have not been detained but are obliged to report to police twice a day.