Police arrest members of several car theft gangs

Police arrest members of several car theft gangs

JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta police have arrested nine car
thieves believed to be members of different organized gangs in
several raids since last month, it was revealed yesterday.

Central Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna told
reporters that the nine suspects were held at his headquarters on
Wednesday.

They were captured in several locations, including Greater
Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Pekanbaru, he said.

"Among the suspects are former convicts who had committed
numerous car thefts and robberies," Iman said.

The nine suspects were identified only as Sur, Ash, Man, Sep,
Suw, Ilh, Yan, Bag and Ded. They are aged between 25 and 40.

From the suspects, the police confiscated 27 vehicles: Feroza
jeeps, Kijang vans, Starlet sedans, Espass, Carry, and Zebra
vans.

Iman said the nine suspects belonged to organized gangs that
specialized in car thefts and that they had been operating for
about four years.

One of the suspects, Sur, admitted to the police that he had
lost count of how many cars he had stolen. He was once jailed for
"some time" before being freed in 1984.

Iman said the gangs used an old-fashioned strategy to run
their operations by selling the stolen vehicles at bargain prices
well below their market value.

"They stole the cars and counterfeited car documents and sold
them for between Rp 6 million and Rp 12 million," he said.

North Jakarta police reported yesterday they had captured five
car thieves Wednesday. The suspects were all apprehended in North
Jakarta.

All the suspects were detained at North Jakarta Police
Precinct. The police also confiscated three cars and two
motorbikes from the suspects.

North Jakarta police chief Lt. Col. Rismawan told reporters
Wednesday that the gang usually operated in parking lots and used
a master key to steal the cars.

"We will continue the crackdown on gang members. There are
indications that some security officers were also involved in
this vehicle-theft network," Rismawan said.

"We are serious about handling vehicle theft cases. We also
need public participation. One way to do that is to give us clear
information. People seem reluctant to report crimes in their
neighborhoods to the police," he said. (edt)