Hoodlums arrested over bus extortion

Hoodlums arrested over bus extortion

INDRAMAYU, West Java: Police here arrested at least nine hoodlums who often extorted bus drivers using West Java's northern coastal roads near Indramayu.

"Their action has caused resentment among bus drivers and has resulted in widespread traffic jams," Indramayu Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Hadi Sutejo said on Wednesday.

The alleged extortionists, who operated on Jalan Karang Ampel in Jatibarang, had extorted bus drivers for between Rp 2,000 and Rp 5,000 each, he said.

The robbers made a killing on Java's northern coastal roads, where between 10,000 and 45,000 buses pass every day.

"If drivers refuse to give them money, our buses are attacked with nails," Santoso, a bus driver who drove the Jakarta- Surakarta route told The Jakarta Post. --JP