Motorbike thieves leave empty handed

PANDEGLANG, West Java: Three hotel staff in the coastal tourist area of Carita here on Thursday scared off two men attempting to steal their motorbike after crashing into them in a truck, witnesses said.

Amri, 26, and his two colleagues were on their way home from the Lippo Carita hotel on his motorcycle at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The three men, whose homes are about five kilometers from the hotel, were heading down a lonely street when a truck hit their bike from behind, locals said.

"When the motorcycle and the three passengers fell on the asphalt road, two men got out of the truck, quickly picked up the bike and were about to put it on the truck," a witness from Sukanegara village said.

Realizing they were being robbed, Amri and his two friends ignored their injuries and surrounded the two men, who abruptly left the bike and fled in their truck.

The local Pandeglang Police revealed that vehicle thefts, particularly of Kijang vans, have shown a significant increase in the area recently.

Police in a recent operation to find vehicles without proper documentation seized 230 motorcycles and six cars, Antara reported.