Guns, bullets seized from owner of beauty salon

JAKARTA (JP): East Jakarta Police detectives confiscated three pistols, two gas-powered guns, two homemade air rifles and up to 32 .22 caliber bullets from the owner of a beauty salon on Tuesday afternoon, an officer said on Wednesday.

Chief of detectives Capt. Alex Mandalika said the suspect, identified as Hansen Sanger, 30, claimed to have a permit from the National Police for the weapons and bullets.

"As of today, we have not found this permit in Hansen's possession or at his residence in Menteng Wadas Selatan, South Jakarta," Alex told The Jakarta Post.

"He also said he was a distributor of gas-powered guns here," the officer said.

The chief of the East Jakarta Police intelligence unit, Maj. Felix W. Kewas, said Hansen was the son of Norma Sanger, a famous pop singer from North Sulawesi.

"He bears a very strong resemblance to Norma," Felix said.

Alex said detectives from the Duren Sawit Police station made the arrest.

"Duren Sawit Police chief Capt. Edi Setia Budi received a number of complaints from residents of Jl. Dharmaga in Klender that guns were being bought and sold in a neighbor's house. They gave the neighbor's name as Tam.

"Edi immediately ordered the chief of the Duren Sawit Police detectives, Lt. Senen, to watch Tam's house. When they raided the house, Tam showed receipts for the guns and said he purchased the firearms from Hansen," Alex said.

Alex said Senen then staked out Hansen's home in Menteng Wadas Selatan, and that when Hansen left his home on Tuesday, the police tailed him.

"Hansen knew he was being followed, so he attempted to outrace us. Oddly, Senen caught up with the suspect at the Senen intersection in Central Jakarta.

"Hansen, who has two wives and six children, has refused to say where he bought the guns from," Alex said.

The National Police have issued 175 firearm permits to civilians, mostly businessmen, in the first eight months of this year.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar said this figure was more than double last year's total of 71 permits.

The permits were all for the use of handguns with calibers of between .22 millimeter and .32 millimeter, Togar said, adding that the significant increase in the number of permits issued was caused mainly by people's fear of the country's political and economic situation. (ylt)