Detainees escape dazed police

BOGOR (JP): Bogor Police chief Sr. Comr. Taufik Ridha said here on Tuesday that detainees going to and from court hearings must be guarded by armed officers to make sure they did not escape in transit.

Dazed by the escape of Bogor Prosecutor's Office detainees en route to Paledang Penitentiary after a court hearing on Friday, Taufik said that a thorough probe must be conducted to learn if the escape was a deliberate scenario.

"The prosecutor's office should have asked police to guard the detainees. I will find out if the prosecutor's office had asked police escorting the detainees (to guard them)," Taufik said.

"Anyhow, I will instruct my subordinates to find the escapees."

The four detainees, identified as Asep Supriatna, 29, Manta, 25, Andi Heriandi, 26 and Asep Saepuloh, 18, escaped when the officers were about to drop them at Paledang Penitentiary at about 4 p.m. on Friday.

Reportedly using a crowbar, they managed to force open the paddy wagon's door and escaped from the van.

Two of them were charged with vehicle theft and two others were narcotics-related defendants.

Member of Commission A at the Mayoralty Legislative Council, Rafii Mukti, blamed the officers for the escape of the detainees, saying that it was very sloppy work.

"How come a crowbar was in the paddy wagon or any other kind of equipment which could be used to force open the van's door?" asked Rafii, who is with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan) faction. (21/sur)