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)