Indonesian woman caught in Pakistan with 3.3 kg heroin

JAKARTA (JP): An Indonesian woman has been arrested in Karachi, Pakistan, with 3.3 kilograms of heroin in her possession, city police chief of detectives Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo said on Sunday.

The officer identified the woman only as R.C., in her 30s, a resident of Bekasi Selatan.

According to Alex, the Indonesian national had been detained by the Karachi police since last week.

"We have just received the information. I will be going to Pakistan myself with a team to investigate the case," Alex told reporters.

He refused to give further details on the matter and the origin of the heroin, which has a street market of roughly Rp 1 billion (US$137,000).

In another related development, police sources at City Police revealed that East Jakarta police detectives on Saturday apprehended a group of five people, including an active member of the Jakarta Military Police, for possessing a kilogram of marijuana, several grams of shabu-shabu (a crystal metamphetamine) and heroin plus Rp 12.5 million cash.

The five, the sources added, were caught at their homes in Kayu Putih subdistrict, Pulogadung.

The sources close to the investigation identified the alleged military member as First Class Private Maspher Siburian.

"The East Jakarta police handed over the private last night (Saturday night) to his headquarters. Let his office handle the case in their way," one of the sources said.

Maspher, he added, has admitted of once being caught with drugs before and detained by city police.

When asked to comment further on the case, officer Alex refused to give any information, particularly regarding officer Maspher.

"Please do not ask me about that case," Alex said laughingly. "I wouldn't know anything about it."

According to East Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Tjiptono, four of the suspects -- Saleh Loban, M. Simanjuntak, Dolok Tobing and the low-ranking officer Maspher -- were released on Sunday due to "lack of evidence".

"Only one of them has been detained and she is Mrs. Purba," Tjiptono said.

When asked about Maspher, Tjiptono immediately avoided the question.

He explained that the raid had been preplanned based on the complaints from local residents.

"After a tip-off from residents, we barged into a number of homes, which had been well known in the area for drug transactions," Tjiptono said.

"Of the 25 people caught from those homes, five suspects have been officially detained in this case, as drug-traffickers," he said.

The officer added that his men also arrested another drug- related suspect during a raid on Saturday evening in Cipinang.

He identified the man only as A.H., 24.

"Police seized Rp 1.2 million, 35 grams of shabu-shabu, and at least 150 grams of marijuana from his rented room," Tjiptono said. (ylt)