Driver arrested for indecent exposure

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A 24-year-old single man hired by parents to drive their children to kindergarten in Bintaro, South Jakarta, and back home again has been arrested for indecent exposure, a police officer revealed on Thursday.

"We arrested the suspect, identified as Wartim, two days ago at his house in Bintaro," Jakarta Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said.

The case came to light after one of the victims, a boy, refused to join his classmates in the minivan driven by Wartim.

His mother had been trying for weeks to make the boy tell her the reason, but he had refused.

The mother finally asked a neighbor whose daughter was also in the car pool whether the girl knew anything.

It came as a shock to both mothers when the girl told them what had happened inside the minivan when only her, the boy and the driver were on board.

Both mothers immediately reported the case to the police early this month, but the police first had to collect the victims' and witnesses' statements before laying charges and arresting the suspect.

From October last year through February, Wartim reportedly exposed himself to the two children, who were the last two to be dropped off at home. And one stage he allegedly told the girl to touch his penis.

"The children also said that Wartim showed them pornographic pictures from adult magazines twice," Salempang said.

Police will charge him under Law No. 23/2003 on child protection, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and under Article 290 of the Criminal Code on harassing minors, which carries a maximum seven-year prison term.