Man robbed of Rp 33 million in Cilandak
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people who had just withdrawn money from banks have taken place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)