Police finally grab notorious `untouchable' pimp
Police finally grab notorious `untouchable' pimp
JAKARTA (JP): Police announced yesterday that they have
arrested Hartono, the country's most notorious pimp of high-class
callgirls, who has evaded the law over the past two decades. He
was picked up by police at his mansion in the elite Pondok Indah
housing complex in South Jakarta.
"At first I thought he (Hartono) would be a physically
imposing figure. I was caught by surprise when I found he was
very tiny, only around 150 centimeters tall. Only his name seemed
big," Capt. M. Hirdjan, acting chief of the vice squad at the
city police headquarters, told reporters yesterday.
Hartono Setyiawan, 42, was captured by police agents around
10:30 pm Wednesday.
Hartono was arrested following the arrest of six "occupants"
of the high-class brothel on Jl. Prapanca, South Jakarta, Sunday
afternoon.
The six consisted of an assistant pimp, a receptionist and a
driver of minivan used for the transportation of the callgirls
from Jl. Prapanca to the address given by the customers. The
three call girls were caught red handed by police while offering
their service to their guests at the Jakarta Hilton and Century
Park Hotel. The pimp and two others were nabbed up by police at a
house on Jl. Prapanca.
Hirdjan said police did not have any difficulty arresting
Hartono, despite his reputation of being the man that authorities
were unable, or unwilling, to bring to justice.
Hartono was reportedly hiding behind the cupboard in his
bedroom when police officers got into the two-story mansion and
made no resistance when he was handcuffed.
"We are now questioning him intensively," Lt. Col. Latief
Rabar, a spokesman for City Police, explained.
Latief said the suspects reputation of being "untouchable" was
incorrect because police had once arrested him in 1986 for
running prostitution business in the "Prapanca" house, a popular
name given by his clients for his brothel house on Jl. Prapanca.
Hartono was sentenced by the South Jakarta District Court to
eight months of imprisonment in 1986 but the verdict was
overruled by the Jakarta high court, which sentenced him to two
years of probation.
Hartono used to be a poor omprengan (nighttime minibus) driver
before he entered the lucrative sex business in the early 70s.
Now he runs posh brothels in several big cities, such as Jakarta,
Surabaya, Bandung, Denpasar, and Semarang. His brothels
reportedly only cater to upper-middle class people, including
high-ranking governmental officials.
The brothels provide call-girls at rates running between Rp
750,000 and Rp 1.5 million (US$348 - 698) for short-term service
(three hours) and twice as much for the whole night. In an
apparent attempt to lure more clients, payment could be made with
credit cards.
Pale feet
Hirdjan said that, after receiving a tip-off from informants
around 11.30 a.m. Wednesday, he along with five officers,
including two policewomen, headed for Hartono's mansion in Pondok
Indah.
When police officers entered Hartono's mansion, a guard, clad
in military-like uniform, tried to bar their way, saying his boss
was in Semarang. Police officers who had secured warrants from
their chiefs ignored the guard's request and continued their
search.
Police examined every inch of Hartono's mansion and saw two
human feet under the hanging clothes behind the cupboard in the
bedroom.
"The feet looked fair, so much so that we initially thought
they belonged to a mannequin. When the feet were dragged out into
the open, we were surprised when Hartono turned out to be
attached to them," said policewoman Betty.
Hirdjan said that Hartono could be charged for violating
either the criminal code's chapter 296 or 506, which forbids
sexual procurement and threatens the violators with 1.2-year or
one year maximum jail terms, respectively.
The Chapter 292 sees sexual procurement as crime, while the
Chapter 506 sees it as a misdemeanor. The lesser charge was used
by the South Jakarta District Court in sentencing Hartono in 1986
for a similar crime. (jsk)