Guard killed in armed robbery

Guard killed in armed robbery

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An armed gang of four shot to death a security guard on
Tuesday morning as they were robbing Rp 400 million from an
armored car.

The incident, which took place on Jl. Kopi in Penjaringan,
North Jakarta, was the first armed robbery in the capital this
year. According to police, more than 50 percent of the some
100,000 illegal guns in circulation are in Jakarta.

The van was traveling from Grogol, West Jakarta, carrying
security guard Warto, 40, another guard and a driver, who were to
transfer the money into a bank in North Jakarta.

Arriving on two motorcycles, the armed robbers blocked the van
and forced the driver to slow. One of the robbers opened fire and
shot Warto in the back of the head, killing him instantly.

The gang threatened to kill the others if the remaining two
victims did not hand over the money, and fled with the Rp 400
million.

The case is being handled by the Penjaringan Police.

"Beside the driver and the security guard, we have one
additional witness that saw the incident. Their statements are
being taken down in detail, and we hope to get a complete picture
of the incident," City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said.

Warto's body has been sent to Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital, Central Jakarta, for an autopsy.

The source said they were examining the bullet extracted from
Warto to determine the make and model of the gun.

"It is possible that the guns they used are unregistered. We
are also examining several pieces of evidence, including the van
(and) the security guard's guns...," he said.

According to Jakarta Police data, robbery cases have increased
by 45.3 percent in the past year, from 14,268 in 2003 to 20,734
in 2004. Of these, 201 cases were armed robberies involving
firearms, compared to less than 100 cases in 2003.

The Jakarta Police chief acknowledged recently that criminals
had become more and more sophisticated in their methods.