Councillor's home looted by mob

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.