Eight arrested for stealing

JAKARTA (JP): The police arrested three market security guards and five other men Wednesday for stealing women's clothes worth Rp 32 million (US$13,333) from a department store in Tanah Abang market, Central Jakarta.

Central Jakarta Police Lt. Col. M. Ibrahim said the police arrested the security guards, identified only as Ar, Dan and Has, in nearby houses after receiving a report from the shop owner, Mustofa, on Tuesday.

"We questioned several witnesses and arrested the security guards in their houses. They surrendered without any resistance," Ibrahim said.

He said the police also seized clothes in one of the security guards' houses.

He said the other five suspects; two cleaning service employees, a drinks seller and two jobless men, were arrested in neighboring areas.

"The suspects broke into the Matahari store early in the morning and stole the clothes," Ibrahim said.

He said the men entered the store by breaking down a door, and when Mustofa arrived in the morning he was shocked to find his merchandise missing.

Ibrahim said some of the stolen clothes had been sold by the suspects at city markets at very low prices. "Some of the clothes were also sold to two fences."

The police were looking for the fences, he said, without going into detail.

Central Jakarta Police are still looking for the burglars who stole cash and goods worth hundreds of millions rupiah from a house in Tanah Abang, a photo studio in Menteng and a workshop in Gambir over the past six days.

The burglars used sickles to threaten the victims. (jun)