Nine arrested for stealing rice from state warehouse

JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested nine men for allegedly robbing a rice warehouse of Jakarta's State Logistics Agency (Dolog Jaya) on Jl. Raya Pegangsaan in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, an official said over the weekend.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said the nine suspects were believed to have broken into the warehouse and made away with some 130 30-kilogram sacks of rice on Aug. 18.

The police are tracking down three more suspects who managed to evade arrest, he said.

The nine were identified as Hendrik Johnson Sihite, Marhasan Tampubolon, Ramses Tampubolon, Baroto Siringgo Ringgo, Phillip Simanjuntak, Lamsers Situmorang, Perdamean Situmorang alias John Situmorang, Swis Situmorang and Joshua Nainggolan.

"They are known as the Hendrik group and are believed to have committed a series of rice and staple food robberies in Greater Jakarta over the past six months," Aritonang said.

The other three members of the gang are still at large, but the police know their identities.

The police managed to confiscate 30 of the 130 sacks of rice from the suspects, along with a machete, hydraulic scissors, a type writer, a padlock and 29 gunny sacks.

"They admitted to selling 100 sacks of rice to several customers, including restaurants here.

"The gang sold each sack for Rp 50,000, far below the genuine price of Rp 100,000 to Rp 125,000," Aritonang added.

The alleged robbers were arrested on Friday after police got information from three security guards who witnessed the robbery. The gang broke into the warehouse after binding the hands and feet of the guards and gagging them at about 4 a.m.

"We have questioned the three security guards -- Usman, Yasrinal and Arifin -- and Armen Hamidy, head of the warehouse, who were in charge when the robbery took place."

The guards said that one of the robbers looked familiar and could be a cab driver who liked to hang around the Steady Safe taxi pool on Jl. Pegangsaan II, near the site of the robbery.

"Information given to the police by the cab drivers there led to the capture of Marhasan Tampubolon at midnight Friday in another Steady Safe taxi pool in Rawa Kalong, Bekasi.

"Marhasan then led us to the house of the gang leader, Hendrik Sihite in Cempaka Baru, Central Jakarta. We arrested him at 3 a.m. Saturday," Aritonang said.

From there police tracked down Phillip Simanjuntak and Ramses Tampubolon to a house in the Semper area, North Jakarta, at about 3:30 a.m. and other suspects, including Lamsers Situmorang and Joshua Tampubolon, who were arrested at the Steady Safe taxi pool on Jl. Pegangsaan II.

All the suspects are being detained at North Jakarta Police Station, pending further investigation.

Meanwhile, city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said Saturday that he had assigned the economic police detectives unit to monitor rice and other staple food distribution activities.

"We tried to trace possible criminal offenses in rice and staple food distribution as we have found several cases of hoarding here," Noegroho said during lunch with journalists Saturday.

In a related development, Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col. Pudji Hartanto said Saturday three people had been questioned in relation to a incident in Kedung Dalam village in which hundreds of villagers ran amok after they learned their village chief had reportedly sold 3.5 metric tons of government-subsidized rice to a middleman. They attacked the village chief's house and smashed his furniture.

"We have questioned the village chief, Sapiudin, and two other residents. They claim the incident was a spontaneous act by angry crowds and it was not organized," Pudji said.

The police are still checking all possible leads.

"We urged people to be calm and not to quickly set a fight, which will only lead to riots," Pudji added. (edt)