Crimes at a traffic light

From Kompas

On July 20 about 7 p.m. my cousin, who was riding a motorbike from Senen to Rawamangun, stopped at the intersection on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan when the traffic light turned red. Suddenly a young man approached my cousin and asked my cousin to give him a ride to a spot across the road. My cousin refused and told him to walk there because it was so near. But the man then repeated his demand as he pressed a knife to my cousin's belly.

Scared, my cousin gave him a ride across the road, but the man asked my cousin to take him farther, to a spot about 500 meters from the intersection.

At the spot, five men were waiting for him. Ignoring nearby witnesses, they forcibly took all my cousin's money. Then one of them told the others not to take the motorbike because its was old and in bad condition saying other victims' bikes would be better models.

Some of the residents in the area said that the criminals frequently victimized lone motorists and drivers whose windows were open or those who had engine problems.

I hope the authorities will pay attention to the problem and protect motorists in the area.

J. ISWAHYUDI

Tangerang, West Java