Five arrested for armed bank robberies
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police detectives from the violent crimes squad have arrested a gang of five over the past week, including a police officer and an Army serviceman, in connection with at least 15 recent bank robberies, which resulted in combined losses of Rp 700 million (US$70,000).
The five suspects were identified as Army Second Sgt. Suparno, police officer Brig. Sutrisno and civilians Suparjo, Budi Utomo and Dono.
Outgoing Jakarta Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Harry Montolalu said on Thursday that the five men were apprehended after a search of hospitals in the greater Jakarta area and its environs for a suspect who suffered a gunshot wound during an exchange of fire with police following a robbery in the parking lot of Gambir railway station, Central Jakarta, on March 30.
Harry said that a detective shot the robbery suspect in the leg, but he still managed to make good his escape.
"We found Budi receiving treatment for the wound in a hospital in Sukabumi. He had been taken to the hospital by his friend, Second. Sgt. Suparno," Harry said.
A week after the robbery, the police arrested the two, who then led the detectives to the other three suspects.
"These five robbers have held up banks in at least 15 locations, including Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta, Cibubur in East Jakarta and the West Java towns of Bekasi and Subang," Harry said.
Their biggest robbery was in Condet, South Jakarta, where they got away with Rp 450 million.
In the Gambir robbery, they snatched Rp 10 million in cash belonging to 36-year-old businessman Agus Wibowo, who was queuing for a ticket at the station.
Agus told the police he had withdrawn Rp 12 million from the Fatmawati office of Bank BNI in South Jakarta, Rp 10 million off which was kept under the seat of his Mercedes 200 sedan.
The robbers took the suitcase containing the cash after firing through the car's window.
One of the robbers was beaten up by local people after he failed to jump into the moving Kijang van.
Armed daylight robberies targeting people who have just withdrawn money from banks have been rampant this year. The suspects make use of motorcycles for their getaways.
Since the start of March alone, there have been at least six robberies of this kind in Jakarta and Bogor, with the financial losses totaling nearly Rp 1 billion. Seven of the victims were shot, but nobody was killed.
In the latest robbery, four gunmen made off with Rp 187 million and US$10,000 in cash which had been withdrawn by two employees of private company PT Jayanti from the Jl. Kebon Sirih office of Bank BCA on Wednesday, and resulted in the shooting of one of the victims. (ylt)