Ex-pilot arrested for illegal possession of guns
Ex-pilot arrested for illegal possession of guns
JAKARTA (JP): An ex-pilot has been arrested by the South
Jakarta police for illegal possession of handguns along with 15
bullets.
The police accidentally found the guns belonging to Reno
Syaifullah, 36, a former pilot of Derazona and Gatari charter
airlines, on Friday after a friend of his was arrested for using
an expired credit card.
However, South Jakarta police chief Lt. Col. Adang Rismanto
told reporters here yesterday that the tentative investigation of
Reno did not give any clue that he and his friends had any
criminal record.
"We hope the public can help us by providing any information
about the group," Adang said.
During police questioning, Reno said that he was going to
deliver the guns, a Raven caliber .25 and a S&W caliber .38, to
someone who planned to use them for self protection.
Credit card
On Friday evening Reno, accompanied by his two friends Fritz
Noor and Samaruddin Ahmad Syah, went to deliver the guns to the
person, who happened to be Fritz's father.
On way there they stopped at the Pondok Indah shopping mall,
in South Jakarta, to make some purchases. Fritz bought a wallet
and attempted to pay for it with his brother's expired credit
card, the expiration month of which he had manually altered.
After a heated argument with the cashier, a police officer was
called and Fritz was questioned.
Minutes later the police found the Raven handgun jammed into
Reno's boot, and the Smith & Wetson under the front mat of the
car, which belonged to Fritz.
From Samaruddin the police also confiscated a stun gun.
Reno admitted that the two handguns and bullets belonged to
him. He told the police that he bought the Raven along with 20
bullets at Rp 2 million in 1988 from Neno Nanyoan, an employee of
a state-owned company. He bought another one along with 20
bullets at Rp 1.2 million two years later from Ibrahim, whose
full identity was not disclosed by the police.
The two were arrested yesterday morning together with another
person, identified as Riko Pahlevi, who originally owned the S&W
gun. But Riko told the police that he got the gun from his
brother who is now in the Netherlands.
Expatriate
Meanwhile, Neno said that he got the white Raven from a
foreigner, who used to work in Kalimantan. His nationality was
withheld.
"The latest information available to police says that the
expatriate had returned to his country," said Lt. Col. Adang.
"We'll ask Interpol to help us in a bid to shed more light on
the guns.
"Reno's case shows that there are still many members of our
society who possess guns without any legal documents," Adang
added.
Reno, a father of two, has a record of 6,000 flying hours.
When contacted by The Jakarta Post yesterday, officials from
the two airline companies confirmed that Reno was their former
pilot.
Both companies said that he had a good reputation.
Reno worked two years at Derazona in early 1980s and spent
almost eight years at the Gatari airlines.
When allowed to speak with reporters, Reno said that he had
never used the guns against the law. "I used them to protect
myself ...."
The graduate from the Sierra Academic of Aeronautics in
California, in 1980, said that he was not aware that possessing a
gun is illegal here.
According to Article 1 of the 1951 Emergency Law No. 12, Reno
could face a death sentence or life imprisonment or a maximum 20
years in jail if he is proven guilty by the court of gun
possession.
"I need your help to find a lawyer for me," he told the
reporters. (bsr)`