Pedophilic kiddnapping spree raises call for alert

Pedophilic kiddnapping spree raises call for alert

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Parents are warned to be extra careful in watching their children
because the serial kidnappers, known as the Saputra brothers
gang, are ingenious and most likely pedophiles.

Danardi Sosrosumihardjo, a psychiatrist at the University of
Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that parents should be
particularly alert if young men had approached family members
within the last month or two.

"These Saputra brothers have high social skills, which make it
easy for them to win the trust of children and their parents," he
said.

He underlined that, considering the gang's modus operandi, it
could be assumed that the brothers' main motive was of a sexual
nature with a certain fascination for young children, or
pedophilia. Money was only a secondary motive, he said.

Pedophiles usually establish an initial relationship of trust
and familiarity with their victims, and seldom confine their
molestations and sexual assaults to only one child.

Criminologist Erlangga Masdiana told the Post that kidnapping
was categorized as a petty crime, but in this case the serial
abduction could be said to be organized, and thus lean more
toward a felony.

He said the police had been able to solve only a few common
kidnapping cases up to now, and in order to solve the serial
kidnapping, they would need assistance from the society and the
media.

"Police need to be pressured to solve this case. This is no
ordinary crime, and it needs extra attention," he said.

He echoed Danardi's call for parents to be more careful in
watching their children.

Earlier, City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo told the
Post that the city police would lend a hand to the serial
kidnapping case, because it involved other provincial police
authorities.

He said the city police would assist detectives of other
subprecincts with the appropriate technology to track down the
Saputra brothers.

The brothers introduce themselves to victims' families as
Dani, alias Deni Saputra, 21, and Jerry, alias Jefry Saputra, 25.
The brothers are also helped by a man and a woman during the
kidnapping.

The gang first wins the trust of the victims' families over
two or three months -- in one case, the gang had even rented a
house nearby. A gang member would then take the children for a
walk, generally after politely asking their parents' permission,
and kidnap them.

Media reports said the victims usually lived in crowded
residential areas and did not come from wealthy families.

Since March, the gang has reportedly kidnapped a baby girl in
Pademangan, North Jakarta, a 4-year-old girl in Bogor and a nine-
year-old girl in Cipayung, East Jakarta. Last week, they abducted
four children in Cianjur, West Java.

The gang is also believed to be responsible for two other
kidnappings in Tangerang between March and July.

The brothers have raped and murdered two of their victims
because their parents could not pay the ransom.

Allegedly, Jefry and Deni told the victims' parents that they
were professionals and had killed a number of children prior to
the recent cases.

Police have yet to confirm this claim, although it has now
been four months since the brothers began their kidnapping spree.