Extortion outside university

Extortion outside university

From Warta Kota

My younger brother was a victim of extortion in mid-December
1999. A gang of youths held him up in front of the Indonesian
Christian University (UKI) at Cawang, East Jakarta. It happened
in broad daylight when he was waiting at a bus stop.

It all started with two youths approaching him, talking to him
and introducing themselves. Then two other young men arrived at
the bus stop, and the foursome sprung into action. One of them
produced a belati (broad-bladed knife) and forced my brother to
hand over his money. The gang also demanded my brother's ATM card
and he could not resist their threats. He lost most of his money
in the automatic teller machine.

All that happened in a busy area but the gang operated
quietly. They seemed to be clever in picking prospective victims,
i.e. those who would probably not put up resistance. Usually they
choose a woman who is alone or a person who appears to have
arrived from out of town.

People say extortion often occurs in the area, and the
criminals use more or less the same method. They make inquiries,
introduce themselves and ask the victim's identity. The youths
often roam the area, idling their time at wayside eateries.

People should be on the alert when they waiting for public
transportation in front of the UKI campus.

ATIEK

Cimanggis, West Java