Five detained for container truck armed robberies

JAKARTA (JP): Police arrested five men this week for their involvement in two recent armed robberies of container trucks carrying goods worth almost Rp 1 billion (US$425,500).

"They were arrested on Monday and Thursday for their alleged roles in hiding, purchasing and selling the stolen goods, which consisted of medicine and shoes," city police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the main perpetrators, armed with sharp weapons during the robberies, are still at large, officer Iman said.

Two of the five suspects arrested were identified as Nasrun and Benny, both in their 30s.

According to police detective Capt. Iswadi, Nasrun was arrested at his house on Wednesday at Klari village, West Java, on charges of helping the first group of men hide their stolen goods at his home.

"Based on Nasrun's tips, the police then nabbed Benny, the fencer, at his home in Cibubur, East Jakarta," Ismadi said.

The four men hijacked a container truck carrying more than 1,000 boxes of medicine worth nearly Rp 400 million, said Iswadi.

The goods, heading from Jakarta to Medan in North Sumatra, were owned by PT Juang, a supplier.

The armed robbers stopped the truck on its way to Sumatra in the area of Balaraja, near the border point of Cikande and Tangerang in West Java, at around 11 p.m. on June 19, he said.

After overpowering driver Tarigan and his assistant Hartono, the robbers drove the truck to Klari to unload the loot at Nasrun's house.

"During police questioning, Benny said that he had paid the men Rp 70 million of the Rp 80 million promised for the stolen goods," said Iswadi.

While being booked on Wednesday, the fencer admitted that he had sold one-third of the stolen goods to several pharmacies.

A preliminary police investigation revealed that Benny also owns at least three pharmacies, two on Jl. Pramuka and the other in Cibubur.

Police have only confiscated 397 boxes of medicine, including sweetener sachets and mouthwash.

The other three men, who have been detained, were identified as Badaruddin, alias Aming, Sardi and Ahmad.

"They were arrested on Monday after three months of investigation," spokesman Iman said.

The three are believed to have acted as fencers of 11,119 pairs of Nike sports shoes worth around Rp 485 million stolen from the container truck by the driver and his crew.

"The driver, Chairuddin, and crew member Randi are still being hunted," Iman said.

The case was first reported on April 13 by an executive at the shoe producer, PT Nikomas Gemilang, which is located in Serang, West Java.

The shoes were to be exported to Germany.

A preliminary police investigation revealed that Chairuddin and Randi, who were assigned to carry the goods to the Cakung container terminal in North Jakarta, decided to drive the truck to the fence's warehouse at the Desa Telagasari in the Cikupa district of Tangerang, said Iman.

During questioning, the three fences said that they had bought the stolen shoes for around Rp 50,000 per pair from the two wanted suspects and resold them again for between Rp 100,000 and Rp 150,000 per pair, said Iman. (bsr)