Daylight robbery on Jl. Sudirman

JAKARTA (JP): Five muggers grabbed cash worth US$5,000 and Rp 1.8 million from businessman Syech Syarief Hidayat in a robbery under the flyover in front of the Bank Danamon building on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Hidayat, who reported the incident to the police several hours later, said the five muggeers also snatched his Nokia 5110 cellphone and a $3,800 Cartier wrist watch.

Hidayat, a former Jordanian national, said he was taking shelter beneath the flyover due to a heavy downpour of rain in the Jl. Sudirman area at 5.30 p.m.

"Suddenly, five people surrounded me, and one of them pulled out a handgun and pointed it at my neck," said the 41-year old businessman from Purwakarta, West Java.

Hidayat, who has been an Indonesia citizen for 15 years, said people in the area, including a security guard at the Danamon building and a number of street vendors, did nothing to stop the mugging. (asa)