Police chase end two-day kidnap drama

Police chase end two-day kidnap drama

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Santoso, a 54-year-old auto shop owner, could never have imagined
that he would be a victim of a kidnapping by one of his
customers.

On Monday at around 7 p.m. he had just closed his shop in
Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, which mostly sells spare parts for
Australia's Holden cars, when six men approached and forced him
into a waiting car. Santoso was later taken to a house in
Cibinong, Bogor regency, and chained to the small lavatory wall
in the house for almost two days.

One of the main suspects, Farid Rafli, 40, a long-time
customer at the shop, allegedly called the victim's wife and
demanded that she pay Rp 300 million (US$35,714) in cash as
ransom. They threatened her get the money quickly or she would
never see her husband alive again.

On Tuesday evening, Mrs. Santoso contacted Farid who told her
to leave the money just after midnight, wrapped in a black
plastic bag, near the Golden Hotel on Jl. Gunung Sahari Utara,
Central Jakarta. Unbeknownst to the kidnappers, she also
contacted the Jakarta Police for help.

Mrs. Santoso and her son took a taxi early on Wednesday at 1
a.m. to the designated location with some police detectives
tailing them.

Farid, who already suspected that the wife might contact the
police, called her twice to change the location. Finally, he told
her to stop at Jl. Thamrin, near the Hotel Indonesia traffic
circle.

Mrs. Santoso and her son walked toward the Sudirman railway
station, formerly known as Dukuh Atas, around a kilometer from
the traffic circle. She left the black plastic bag full of money
on the sidewalk in front of the station, as ordered by Farid.

But Farid's luck ended as the detectives, who had been hiding
nearby, started firing their guns just when he was about to
snatch the bag.

He tried to flee but the detectives caught him near the
traffic circle at about 2:30 a.m.

"He was running fast," said detective First Insp. Danang.

The police detained Farid at the city police headquarters and
started questioning him. They also returned the money to Mrs.
Santoso.

Based on the information gleaned from Farid under
interrogation, the police took Mrs. Santoso and son to Farid's
home in Cibinong and found Santoso still chained to the wall.

"He was in fairly good condition when we rescued him," Danang
said.

Farid told reporters that his kidnapping gang had fed him
well.

"We gave him bread, meat soup, water and even clean clothes."

He admitted that his gang had initially just planned to rob
Santoso's shop. But there was only Rp 80,000 in the petty cash
box.

"After having a discussion, we agreed to kidnap him."

He claimed he once also kidnapped a man from Kebon Jeruk, West
Jakarta, in March 2001, cashing in on Rp 120 million from the
ransom payment. He also admitted that he had served 15 years in
prison for murder in the Netherlands.

The police are still searching for Farid's five accomplices.