Police bust gang of child bicycle thieves

JAKARTA (JP): Police in Menteng, Central Jakarta, have busted a gang of robbers who specialized in stealing children's bikes.

Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar, spokesman for the city police, said yesterday that the robbers were believed to have stolen at least 12 bicycles over the past three months from kids performing their morning exercises.

"We believe many kids who had their bikes stolen by the robbers did not report to the police," said Latief.

The three suspects were identified as Ibrahim, 20, Junaedi, 24, and Risnandar, 20, all residents of Johar Baru district, Central Jakarta.

During their operations, the suspects first threatened their preys, mostly kids around 10 years old, who were doing morning exercises between 5 and 6 a.m. by saying, "You have hit our little brother."

Many kids were surprised by the threat but did nothing when the robbers took their bikes to "the police for investigation," as the suspects usually told their victims.

"They usually selected expensive bikes," said Latief.

The robbers then took the bikes to a fence who had already been waiting for them in a car in Kramat Bunder subdistrict, Senen, Central Jakarta.

"The robbers usually sold the bikes on the fence for Rp 100,000 (US$46) each," said Latief.

The robbers were captured recently after a first grader at a junior high school named Guntur Geganata reported to police that three men had stolen his bike on Jl. Jeruk, Menteng.

Police had earlier received 11 similar reports but could not catch the suspects because the victims failed to clarify identify the perpetrators.

Thanks to young Guntur's good memory, the suspects were captured within a week after the robbery was reported to police.

The fence is still at large.

"But we believe we can catch the fence sooner or later because we know his identity. It's just a matter of time," Latief said. (jsk)