Five arrested for car thefts

JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested a group of five men believed to have stolen dozens of cars in office parking lots in Central Jakarta.

Police Chief Lt. Col. Abubakar Nataprawira said the men are identified as Sukirno, 28, Dwi Purwanto, 26, Djoko Toha, 25, Rasmadi, 20 and Eko Margono, 19.

"We also seized four cars from them: a jeep, two minivans and a pick-up," Abubakar said yesterday.

He said the police apprehended Sukirno on Aug. 31 at the home of his second wife, located in a red-light district in the Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

The police then apprehended his four friends on Tuesday. Dwi and Djoko were arrested in Kendal, while Rasmadi and Eko were arrested in Semarang, all in Central Java.

During a preliminary investigation, the suspects admitted to have stolen dozens of cars in parking lots on Jl. Fakhruddin, Jl. Kebon Kacang and Jl. Pasar Baru.

Abubakar said police are still hunting for a buyer of stolen cars.

A police source said the buyer, identified as Tar, is reportedly a military officer. (jun)