JP/3/Bintaro/set lead 2 cols, 10 pts/12 MB

Four arrested for three-in-one robberies

JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested four men believed to have committed three separate robberies in one night in South Jakarta early this week.

The gang was believed to have made off with a Kijang minivan during their three-in-one operation, along with a wide range of electronics ad household items worth a total of approximately 50 million (US$23,280).

"Based on the preliminary questioning, the four also admitted that they have ties with similar criminal groups outside Jakarta," City Police spokesman Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar told reporters here yesterday.

The four were arrested at their respective houses Thursday evening, three days after the burglaries had taken place.

Along with the suspects, the police confiscated several items that were identified as stolen goods. This included the car, and items believed to have been used by the gang in their operation, including two motorcycles, two toy handguns, 28 bullets, knives, sickles and numerous tools used to hotwire vehicles and force open gates, doors and windows.

The gang was believed to have carried out their operations using the two stolen motorcycles during the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, each in the South Jakarta, Jombang area in Ciputat, Bintaro and at the Bintaro housing complex.

The four suspects, who are currently being detained at the South Jakarta police precinct, are identified as Joy, 26, a resident of Bintaro, Jeffry, 27, also from Bintaro, Iwan, 31, a resident of Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta, and Kasda, 23, a resident of Pasar Induk, East Jakarta.

Police named Joy and Jeffry as the leaders of the group.

Allegedly, before the group would conduct their operations, they would assign a person to stake out their targets. Later, they would discuss the results of their survey and work out a plan to break into the houses they had observed. The planning was believed to have taken place at either Joy's or Jeffry's house in Bintaro.

"They always travel to the scene of crimes riding two stolen motorcycles with fake license plates," Latief said.

Police said that when the gang arrived at the scene, one of them would use a crowbar to force open the windows of their victims' houses, allowing his accomplices to enter and seize any valuable items found inside.

"They took everything which they believed could be resold, including cameras, television sets and shoes," Latief said.

The spokesman said that police are still searching for any possible connection between the four suspects and other gangs in or outside the city.

"They might have conducted similar crimes before," Latief said.

He added that City Police headquarters has assigned some of its officers to police precincts in the greater Jakarta area to look into the identities of the four suspects at files available at other offices. (bsr)