Dutch-born man arrested for several robberies
Dutch-born man arrested for several robberies
JAKARTA (JP): Menteng police have arrested a man wanted for a series of robberies at several high-rise buildings on Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta.
The Dutch-born suspect, identified as Yacop Palupessy, 38, was caught by security guards while robbing an office in the eight- story Wisma Nusantara building at 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 13, City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said yesterday.
"He was arrested with Rp 589,000 in cash that he had just stolen," Iman said.
After being brought to the nearby Menteng police subprecinct, the "skyscraper specialist" handed over his tools, including screwdrivers, a small crowbar and a broken cellular phone.
"He was disguised as a businessman in a tie and smart-looking clothes and with a phone in his hand," Iman said.
According to his ID card, Yacop, a father of two children, is a private businessman residing on Jl. Cililitan Kecil in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta. He is an Indonesian citizen.
Based on a preliminary investigation, Yacop admitted to having robbed at least five offices in the Skyline Building and two others in the Wisma Nusantara on the city's main thoroughfare Jl. Thamrin in the past two years.
The suspect, who acted alone, said that he had stolen Rp 10 million (US$4,400) worth of valuables and cash, in local and foreign currency.
He got into the offices by entering through the bathroom ceilings and the emergency stairways, Iman said.
"But his technique is still being investigated by the Menteng police," Iman said.
Yacop said that his first robbery was at PT Japan Oil on the 14th floor of the Skyline Building in February 1994, when he made off with Rp 1.3 million.
The second time he broke into PT Korean Bank on the 17th floor of the same building last march and took $1,000 in U.S. dollars and Rp 6.3 million in cash, Yacop told police interrogators.
In one operation in October, he stole a camera, credit cards and Rp 50,000 in cash from PT Oceannair, Nigata Contractor and Asahi Bank Ltd, all of which are in the same building, Iman said.
The city police spokesman asked all offices having experienced similar break-ins to report to the police to see if the crimes bore any similarity to the work of Yacop.
Extinguished
In a related development yesterday, the Central Jakarta police arrested a 23-year-old man wanted for stealing fire extinguishers and employee time clocks from several hospitals and offices. Sujarwo was arrested at the Gedung Jaya building, also on Jl. Thamrin, at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, spokesman Iman said.
"During police questioning, the suspect admitted to having stolen nine fire extinguishers and five clocks," the officer said, adding that the police were still investigating how and to whom the goods were sold. (bsr)