Man robbed of Rp 33 million in Cilandak

JAKARTA (JP): Two unidentified men, one of whom was armed with a gun, robbed a private employee yesterday of Rp 33 million (US$14,165) on Jl. Fatmawati in Cilandak, South Jakarta.

The victim, identified as Franciscus Theodorus, 44, was intercepted by two men on a motorcycle when his driver stopped the Kijang van because one of its tires was flat, City Police spokesman Maj. Nyoman Suryasta said.

Theodorus, a manager at a language institute in South Jakarta, had just left the BRI bank office in Lebak Bulus when the robbery took place.

"One of the robbers smashed the front windshield of the victim's van with a machete, while another suspect fired a shot to threaten the victim and the driver," said Nyoman.

No one was injured during the daylight robbery. The two suspects escaped soon after stealing the cash.

Theodorus told the local police detectives that he, accompanied by the company's driver, Dakum, 51, was assigned to withdraw Rp 40 million in cash from a Bank Exim branch at Pondok Indah Mall, also in South Jakarta.

The two left the bank at around noon and went to a nearby Bank Lippo branch office to transfer Rp 5 million from the total amount.

A few minutes later, they drove to Lebak Bulus to transfer another Rp 2 million at a Bank BRI branch office.

On their way back to their office, the two realized that two men riding on a motorcycle were following them. At that time, they sensed that their van had a flat tire.

Theodorus ordered the driver to immediately stop and was about to seek help when the two men on the motorcycle intercepted them.

"The two robbers acted very fast and escaped before passers-by came to help the victims," said officer Nyoman.

Police, who arrived at the scene a few minutes later, discovered only a bullet shell allegedly fired by one of the suspects.

No witnesses were able to recognize the number plate of the motorcycle used by the robbers.

Robberies of bank customers have become a serious problem for the Jakarta metropolitan police.

Recently, police foiled two syndicates of around 40 people believed to have been involved in a series of bank customer robberies over the last few years. The robberies are still billed as among the city's most serious crimes.

Over the past two months alone, at least five robberies of people who had just withdrawn money from banks have taken place in various places in and around the city.

With similar modus operandi, the robbers always succeed in their operation.

Among the most recent cases was the robbery of Rp 34 million from an employee of the widely diversified Humpuss Group late last month.

Meanwhile, Bogor police have named the two passengers of the robbery victim on the Jagorawi toll road last Friday as suspects in the crime.

Col. Dadang Garnida, chief of the Bogor police, said that Nurman Lubis and Cece Tajuddin are now in police custody for their alleged roles in the robbery, which claimed the life of Zaenuddin Lesmana.

It was reported that Zaenuddin was shot by one of three robbers who made off with Rp 350 million, not Rp 130 million as earlier reported. The robbers were in a Kijang van which intercepted Zaenuddin's car on the Jagorawi toll road.

According to Antara, preliminary investigations indicate that Nurman and Cece, who accompanied Zaenuddin to withdraw a total of Rp 650 million (not Rp 230 million as reported earlier) from the Bogor BRI bank, were members of the conspiracy.

The suspects told the police the robbers smashed the rear windshield of Zaenuddin's Hyundai Elantra sedan after they jumped out of their van. One of them then shot Zaenuddin, who drove the car. However, the two suspects who were in the back seat were left uninjured in the incident.

This apparently made the police suspicious. Nurman finally admitted to knowing the man who shot Zaenuddin. He said he was an Armed Forces member. Police have identified him only as Sgt. S. The two other passengers of the Kijang van were also believed to be soldiers.

The three men are still at large. (bsr/sur)