Man nabbed for robbing Hyatt guest

Man nabbed for robbing Hyatt guest

JAKARTA (JP): A man was arrested by security guards at the
five-star Grand Hyatt hotel in Central Jakarta Wednesday after
breaking into a room and threatening the guest with a fake gun,
police said yesterday.

The suspect, identified as Chaleb Hartono, 30, had forced the
victim, a British woman, to hand over her money and jewelry, City
Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said.

The panicking victim, identified as Emma Alexandra, screamed
for help shortly after Chaleb left the room, the officer said.

Aritonang said the hotel security guards chased the suspect
and caught him with the stolen goods, including a Sharp laptop
computer, a diamond ring, a credit card and Rp 187,000 (US$61.13)
in cash.

"The suspect confessed during interrogation that he had
committed similar crimes at the hotel three times before getting
caught," he said.

He always targeted foreign woman who traveled and stayed
alone at the hotel.

"The suspect, who always dressed smartly, watched the victims
closely, followed them to their rooms and forced his way into the
rooms. He always carried the fake handgun to scare his victims,"
Aritonang said.

He said the suspect had made off with a total of Rp 1.3
million from the latest three robberies he had committed at the
hotel in August.

Aritonang said that criminals who operated in hotels usually
dressed and acted like businessmen.

"Hotel guests should not rely only on the security guards to
watch them and their belongings. They must take good care of
their stuff, especially in public area of hotels because we
cannot tell criminals by their looks," he said. (cst)