Eight arrested for robbery at general's house

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta Police detectives on Tuesday arrested a group of eight men, including an active military sergeant, in connection with Saturday's armed robbery at the residence of a former top police general in Ciganjur.

The suspects also included the driver and gardener at the general's house, South Jakarta Police chief of detectives Maj. Rycko Amelza Daniel said.

As reported earlier, the gardener was among the two people inside the mansion of former National Police deputy chief of operational affairs, Maj. Gen. (ret) Putera Astaman, at the time of the robbery who were tied up and gagged by the robbers.

The local detectives earlier found it difficult to trace a single clue from the suspects and the scene until they later found a brief love letter from one of the suspects to Putera's secretary.

"The letter reads: 'My kisses to your upper and lower lips' and is signed by Kusmanto ," officer Rycko said.

Police identified the suspects as gardener Ngadimin, driver Imron, chief Sgt. Zaenudin of the Combat Army Engineers regiment, the secretary's boyfriend Kusmanto, who is a former employee of Putera's, Kusmanto's friend Mahmudin and three people hired by Zaenudin from Karawang, West Java: Syarifudin, Suhendar and Abdul Wahyudin.

Police named the secretary, Dwi Lestari, 27, as only a witness in the case.

According to preliminary results of the police investigation, the architect of the robbery at the general's house was Zaenudin, who is known by the police as a veteran car thief.

He usually hires the three Karawang men to repaint stolen vehicles at their garage in Karawang.

As earlier reported, the robbers not only stole a bag containing weapons from the master bedroom, but also made away with a 20-inch TV set, a tape recorder, a video compact disc player (VCD), expensive wristwatches, a fax machine and telephone sets.

Most of the suspects, Rycko said, were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday at the house of the sergeant's second wife at Gg. Kemang Kalisari II in Cijantung, East Jakarta.

According to Rycko, the 27-year-old secretary, Dwi Lestari, earlier stuck to her initial story that during the heist she was at a nearby drug store buying medicines for Putera's family.

"She told us that the drug store was packed with customers, and that she had to wait in line, which was why she didn't reach the house in time to witness the robbery," Rycko said.

"But we later found out from the head of the drug store that the store was totally empty during the time of the robbery," the officer said.

Jagakarsa subprecinct detectives also tried to force the truth out of her, but failed. She was later transferred to the South Jakarta Police precinct for further questioning.

"She insisted that she had not heard from Kusmanto, or even seen him, since last year," he said.

"When we searched her bag we found the letter signed by Kusmanto. But still she refused to talk," Rycko added.

At the same time, Imron -- after an intensive investigation -- told police detectives about Kusmanto's role in the armed robbery.

According to Rycko's deputy, First Lt. Firman Noorsya, seven of the suspects, including gardener Ngadimin and Zaenudin, were arrested at the house of the latter's second wife in Cijantung.

When Kusmanto and Abdul tried to escape, they were both shot in their right legs, Firman said.

Based on Zaenudin's information, the police then confiscated the stolen items, including a .38mm Colt pistol and 13 bullets, a Toyota Kijang van, six wristwatches, a fax machine, a tape recorder, a TV set, 25 pieces of jewelry and a belt, from the house of his first wife in Karawang.

Some of the suspects revealed their own versions to The Jakarta Post about their motives in taking part in the crime.

Imron admitted that he had worked at the Putera's residence for the past two months and received a monthly salary of Rp 250,000.

"I have a wife and a kid. I met Zaenudin four months ago in Bintaro. He was really nice to me ... he often gave me money, since I was unemployed then," Imron said.

"I really felt I owed him so much. One day, just before the Idul Fitri holiday, he contacted me and told me that he had debt problems and if I knew of how to get him money fast ."

"I told him about my rich boss. He said he'd go for it."

Syarifuddin said that he was a neighbor of Zaenudin's first wife in Karawang.

"I used to repaint cars for Pak Zaenudin. It's only now that I know that those cars were stolen. He told me before the Idul Fitri holiday that there was a lot of work in Jakarta and that I could help," he said.

"He gave me such good business, repainting cars and all. I told him I didn't mind. If it's work, why not? It was only when I reached Jakarta and had very little money that I found out that I was supposed to rob a house."

Ngadimin, who is unmarried, said he had been working as a gardener and security guard at the residence for two years and was paid Rp 125,000 per month.

"I really regret doing this. I even got a Lebaran bonus of Rp 250,000, but I felt that it was not enough for me. Prices have all gone up here," Ngadimin said.

"Imron threatened to kill me if I didn't help with the robbery. When I was tied up and gagged, that was voluntarily. It was all set up." (ylt)