New armed robbery adds to crime spate

JAKARTA (JP): The city's recent rash of violent crime continued in the early morning hours yesterday when a group of armed robbers broke into the house of a diamond jeweler.

Seven men, armed with guns and sharp weapons, broke into the house of Sobirin Tanjung, alias Herlina, who police identified as a transvestite, on Jl. Subur Ujung No. 4 at Menteng Atas, South Jakarta.

The head of the South Jakarta Police detective unit, Maj. Rycko Almeza Daniel, said the robbers made away with Rp 77 million (US$5,310) in cash plus seven diamond bracelets and a 310 gram gold bracelet.

One of the robbers reportedly shot a round into the air before the group sped away in a dark Kijang van.

"The victim received slash wounds to his right hand and back," Rycko said.

Sobirin, 50, was alone in the house at the time of the incident. He is still being treated at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

"(Sobirin) was badly rattled by the robbery because the robbers took much of his working capital and assets," Rycko said.

A preliminary police investigation concluded that the group broke into the house at 2:10 a.m. after cutting the house gate's padlock.

"The victim apparently jumped in surprise and immediately screamed 'Robbers! Robbers!' when he saw the strangers breaking into his house," Rycko said.

The robbers quickly gagged Sobirin and then gave the host a grim lesson by injuring his back, the officer said.

Police have found a bullet and a casing at the scene and have questioned eight witnesses.

"Judging from the cartridge case and the bullet found, the gun must be an FN type," Rycko said.

The robbery brings the number of similar crimes in the capital to six in the last two weeks. Losses from the incidents run in the hundreds of millions of rupiah.

The latest of these cases was the robbery at a house in Jati Padang, also in South Jakarta, on Saturday morning in which an armed group of five men took the family's Kijang van and several electronic items after slashing one of the victims with a machete.

Rycko said the police had found evidence that recently released ex-convicts were behind the series of robberies.

"We came up with the possibility after speaking with at least five convicted armed robbers still serving at Cipinang Prison," he said. (bsr/edt)