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.