Police detain housemaid over robbery

Police detain housemaid over robbery

JAKARTA (JP): Police have detained a 40-year-old housemaid for
her alleged involvement in a robbery at the home of a Nigerian
national in Permata Hijau, South Jakarta, an officer said.

"We have detained, not incarcerated, the suspect at the police
station for questioning," city police spokesman Lt. Col. E.
Aritonang said Thursday.

Police are still looking for two men and two women who are
believed to be accomplices of the suspect, Sumiah.

Sumiah told interrogators she was alone in the house of her
employer -- Nigerian expatriate Umaro Ebachiles, 28 -- on Jl. Mas
Murni when a female friend arrived. The friend asked her to help
find a job at a foreigner's house.

Aritonang said Sumiah claimed three of her friend's
accomplices later came to the house and tied her up before
locking her in the kitchen.

He quoted Sumiah as saying that the robbers went upstairs and
forced their way into her employer's bedroom and stole his gold
jewelry. They also stole a television set and loud speakers from
the living room.

She said she untied herself after the robbers left the house.

"She said she crawled out of the kitchen with her mouth still
stuffed with a napkin and cut the plastic rope around her hands
by rubbing it against a sharp stone she found in the garden."

Aritonang said interrogators doubt Sumiah's version of events
because of her illogical description of the crime's chronology.

"Several piece of information she gave the interrogators were
absurd and contradicted each other. For example, she said she
managed to crawl out of the kitchen, but the kitchen was locked
from the outside. How could she do such a thing?"

The fact that Sumiah was a friend of one of the four robbers
was another reason for the police to detain her for further
investigation, he said.

The only items stolen were the television set, loud speakers
and 70 grams of jewelry, he said.

"The funny thing is that they did not take other electronic
products, ranging from a laptop, computer and printer to VCD
(video compact disk) and laser disc players which were in the
living room." (cst)