Military Police gambling ring causes riot

TANGERANG: About 200 angry gamblers attacked and destroyed Sgt. Maj. Jupri's house on Jl. Jati, Jatiuwung, Tangerang, on Tuesday night after the Military Police officer failed to pay off the winners in an illegal numbers racket that the Army personnel runs.

Jupri, who operates the informal neighborhood lottery in his spare time, failed to pay the prize money on time to the winners who bet on number 7,440 on Sunday night. Claiming to be out of cash, Jupri promised the winners he would pay them on Monday evening.

However, he did not pay on Monday as promised, so the mob of gamblers attacked and destroyed the police officer's house on Tuesday night.

"The gamblers also filed complaints with the police," said the Jatiuwung subprecinct police chief Insp. Aswin Sepayung Wednesday.

Jupri was later escorted to the Military Police headquarters in South Jakarta, to get his side of the story and to protect him from the gamblers' wrath. -- JP