Jakarta police chief declares war against organized crime
Jakarta police chief declares war against organized crime
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police are determined to crush the
growing number of gangsters and racketeers whose methods of
operation are similar to those used by notorious organized crime
groups.
"Real organized crime has yet to be found in the city, but we
have uncovered a growing number of people and gangs who commit
crimes using modus operandi similar to those adopted by foreign
organized crime syndicates," Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen.
Mochammad Hindarto told reporters yesterday.
These people, Hindarto said, mostly run their businesses
illegally, ranging from gambling, prostitution, extortion to drug
dealing, behind the cover of legitimate businesses, using various
types of scare tactics, including kidnapping. "There's no place
for them in the city and we have to take immediate action to stop
these people before it escalates."
Hindarto made the remarks at the installation of Lt. Col.
Timbul Sianturi as the new head of Tanjung Priok port police,
replacing Lt. Col. Murawi Effendi.
According to him, these people belong to a well-organized
network and can easily earn abundant amounts of money in a short
period of time even though they start only with a very limited
amount of capital.
Moreover these people always try to collude with officers and
politicians of both low and high rank, to back up the operations
of their illegal businesses, Hindarto said.
"They, for instance, have special agents assigned to `contact'
senior members of the police force and the attorney general's
office," he said, adding that such activities rarely are reported
to the police.
"The number of such unregistered crimes is quite high because
victims are afraid to go to the police," he said.
Luckily, "Pak Hendro (the City Military Commander) and I have
the full support of our superiors in blocking the action of these
people," he explained but refused to elaborate.
He said city authorities have started their operation against
prostitution and gambling groups which are believed to be
applying organized crime methods.
Hartono - Yorrys
Over the past few months police in Jakarta have made
remarkable breakthroughs with the arrests of two "untouchable"
figures, an infamous pimp of high-class call girls, and an
executive of the powerful Pemuda Pancasila youth organization.
Hartono Setyawan, 42, one of the most notorious pimps in the
country, was arrested in his mansion in South Jakarta on July 27
and is now being tried at the local district court on charges of
allegedly running an illicit prostitution business over the last
five years.
Three days later the police also nabbed Yorrys Raweyai, the
day-to-day chairman of Pemuda Pancasila, in a gambling den in
West Jakarta. He is being tried at the local court for his
alleged role in the gambling.
On Monday, Hindarto announced that Yorrys was arrested for
another case: for the torture of a servant in September last
year. The servant was believed to have kidnapped and killed the
son of Pemuda Pancasila's executive.
The servant suffered serious wounds to his abdomen and his
right ear was severed. He later died in police custody after
being handed over by Yorrys and his friends.
"We have to stop these prostitution and gambling businesses
first in a bid to stop them from spreading to other sectors,"
Hindarto reiterated yesterday.
According to Hindarto, the target of operations to block the
presence of organized crime in the city are companies which have
no significant activities but are able to register high profits.
(bsr)