Italian and his wife fall victim to taxi robbery

JAKARTA (JP): An Italian and his Indonesian wife were robbed and assaulted early Wednesday morning in the latest in a spate of robberies involving taxi drivers working in tandem with criminals, police said.

"When they reached Jl. Casablanca in a Tiffany taxi from somewhere near Tanamur Discotheque in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, the taxi was stopped by two men at about 12:30 a.m.," City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said Wednesday.

The taxi driver and the robbers absconded with Rp 300,000 and S$1,000 in cash and two wristwatches after assaulting the passengers, he said.

The Italian, identified as Angelio Denescio, 34, who works in Switzerland, sustained injuries to the right side of his stomach and thighs, while his wife, Chiquita Venny de Thenollid, 27, was hurt in her head and stomach. They were returning to their home in Menteng Dalam Raya, South Jakarta.

No information was available on the activities of the couple here.

Both victims were treated at MMC Hospital, Kuningan, South Jakarta.

"The victims were dropped by the robbers in the Tomang area in West Jakarta. They were blindfolded with plastic tape.

"They were then taken by passersby to get medical treatment at Sumber Waras hospital, West Jakarta. A few hours later they were transferred to MMC Hospital in South Jakarta."

The police are searching for suspects.

On Sunday, two Russian tourists were robbed of US$12,000 in cash by a taxi driver and accomplices in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. The police arrested three suspects yesterday.

There have been at least 10 police reports of taxi robberies in the past three months. Investigations have confirmed that two of these were committed by the taxi drivers. (edt)