Police arrest 38 suspects, in 12 days crackdown operation
Police arrest 38 suspects, in 12 days crackdown operation
Evi Mariani, Jakarta
In a 12-day operation, the Jakarta Police managed to arrest 38
suspects from several robberies, in which the criminals stole at
least Rp 5.8 billion (US$651,685) in cash and 54 kilograms (kg)
of gold jewelry.
"From the 38 detained suspects, 24 are our most-wanted
suspects and top our manhunt list," city police spokesman Sr.
Comr. Prasetyo told a media conference on Thursday.
The operation ran from April 29 through May 9.
As of today, the police are still searching for 56 suspects,
who are still at large.
The police seized 17 pistols, three machetes, a sickle,
hundreds of bullets, motorcycles and two luxury wristwatches from
the suspects.
Police said that some of the suspects were the second
generation of a notorious gang led by a criminal known as Peyek,
who died in 2001. They were identified as Subandi and Sugito, who
were arrested in Depok, and Suwito and Tomi Samuji, who were
apprehended in Surabaya.
Peyek was the gang leader most wanted by the police since the
late 1990s because his gang killed at least four detectives and
seven civilians.
He was known to be a slick criminal. When the police
eventually arrested him in late 2001 at his house in Bogor, the
detectives found several books on intelligence activities in his
house.
"From statements made by four of Peyek's former accomplices,
they targeted only gold jewelry traders or bank customers who had
just withdrawn cash," Prasetyo said.
The suspects claimed they had committed 33 robberies, 30 of
which took place in various locations in Jakarta, with three in
West Java and East Java. They managed to steal Rp 2.2 billion and
54 kg of gold jewelry.
Members of another syndicate led by Ranto Sitorus also
admitted to the police that they had broken into houses since
1998 and stolen Rp 3.6 billion.
"We also arrested robbers targeting motorcycles who usually
committed their crimes on the street," city police chief of
detectives Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said.
He then picked up a Colt gun, which had been confiscated
during the operation, and said that it was used by a robber who
had been involved in a gunfight with his detectives before he was
arrested.
"Fortunately, my detectives did not get hurt," he said.
Police data from January to April showed that an average of 10
to 12 robberies targeting motorcycles per month took place on the
streets of Jakarta. In most cases the criminals used guns, while
others used sharp weapons.