Guns, bullets seized from owner of beauty salon

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)