Police baffled by armed robbery

Police baffled by armed robbery

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta police detectives are searching
for two suspects in connection with an attempted armed robbery of
Rp 273 million (US$36,400) on Wednesday afternoon, and the
shooting of two people at the Grand Wijaya Center, located next
to the South Jakarta police precinct.

South Jakarta police chief Col. Nono Suprijono identified the
victims as Agus Setiadi, who was shot in the back, and Parno, who
was shot in the head. Both are being treated at Pertamina
hospital in South Jakarta.

"We've got one empty shell believed to have come from a
Colt... probably a .38 (millimeter), but we cannot say for sure
until we receive positive results from the National Police
forensics laboratory," Nono told reporters.

Separately, Second Lt. Sukirman of the crime scene unit said
Parno was a cigarette vendor who got shot when he tried to rescue
Agus, an office boy who works for the shipping firm PT Sriwijaya
Lloyd on Block F 45 at the Grand Wijaya Center, on Jl.
Dharmawangsa.

Agus and cashier Tetty Elizabeth had left their office in the
operational Pajero van, driven by driver Herman, for the Standard
Chartered Bank on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, at about 2 p.m. on
Wednesday, Sukirman said.

After withdrawing Rp 273 million for their office's
operational costs, the van drove back to PT Sriwijaya Lloyd.
There two men approached Agus as he got out of the van.

"The men tried to grab the bag from Agus and when he fought
back they shot him. Wounded, Agus stumbled back to the van but
Herman had locked the doors," Sukirman said.

Herman added that he had his back turned to Agus the whole
time and didn't witness the robbery.

"When I saw Agus panting I immediately got out and wrapped
myself around him, taking the bag out of his hands. I quickly
opened the door to our office and threw the bag inside," Herman
said.

"In the midst of all this, Parno was trying to save Agus and
he got shot as well."

South Jakarta police officers were baffled with the company's
failure to ask the precinct for police officers to accompany the
company's staff.

"We asked them why... they could not give a sensible answer,"
Sukirman told reporters.

"We have never experienced something as terrible as this
incident," Elizabeth said. "We have to discuss the necessity of
such protection with the company's management first."

Earlier, National Police chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo stated
that more armed police officers would be deployed to secure bank
withdrawals following several robberies and attempted robberies
in the capital.

"I urge all banks, companies and other institutions to please
accept our help. I say this for your own safety," Rusdihardjo
said.

In an unrelated development, city police mobile detectives
(Resmob) arrested seven men in Kebun Bawah, Tanjung Priok, North
Jakarta on March 24, in connection with the robberies of fax
machines, photo-copiers, computers, printers and tape decks in
three different locations beginning in early February of this
year.

Resmob chief Capt. Syafi'i identified the men as Massum, Anas,
Paryono, Tamzis, Joko Purwanto, Hamdun alias Lili and Musdar.

Syafi'i said the robberies had occurred on Jl. Musi Cideng in
Central Jakarta, on Jl. SMEA VI Cawang, East Jakarta, and Jl.
Matraman, Kebon Manggis in East Jakarta.

"Six of them, excluding Musdar, would do the robbing and store
the goods at Musdar's residence at Kebun Bawah in order to resell
them," Syafi'i said. (ylt)