Police investigate shootings at bank and five-star hotel

Police investigate shootings at bank and five-star hotel

JAKARTA (JP): City police are probing the mysterious shooting
of a five-star hotel and a bank headquarters in Central Jakarta
on Sunday.

"We're still collecting as much evidence and information as we
can," City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo said yesterday.

Reliable sources said that the bullets were of a long-barrel
riffle.

The 30-floor hotel located on Jl. Karet Pasar Baru Timur was
shot at around 6 a.m. Sunday. Police assume that the shooting of
the 27th floor of the Bank Bumi Daya headquarters on Jl. Imam
Bonjol took place at almost the same time. There were no
fatalities.

The five-millimeter plate glass windows of the hotel's eighth
and 11th floor guest rooms were damaged. Two spent bullets were
found in the rooms.

A Taiwanese tourist staying on the 11th floor was slightly
injured by broken glass. The other room on the eight floor was
empty.

A 15-millimeter bullet hole was found the next morning by an
employee of PT Bumi Daya - Industrial Bank of Japan Leasing
company at his office on the 27th floor of the 30-story building.

Personnel of the National Police Forensic Laboratory were
still looking for the spent bullet of the single shot which went
through the office ceiling.

Dibyo was quoted by spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna as saying
that the investigation team has not as yet concluded what type of
gun was used, the position of the shooter, nor any motive.

But reliable sources at the scenes told The Jakarta Post that
the shootings were done by the same person, from the same point
and with the same gun.

The shooter might have fired the shots from an area near the
Wisata hotel where both targets are visible.

Wedding

Many speculated that the shootings were connected to the
wedding ceremony of movie star Ongky Alexander Harianto and
company executive Paula Ayustina Saroinsong. The couple
celebrated their wedding at the hotel.

Paula is an executive of a company run by Siti Hardiyanti
Rukmana. Her office is located on the 23rd floor of the BBD
headquarters.

Ongky was tried in a land scam involving millions of rupiah.
He was exonerated of any guilt.

The hotel shooting tightened the security of the couple's
wedding, which started two hours later.

The hotel's director of communications, Riza A. Suryo, told
the Post that the incident had no significant affect on the
hotel's business.

"Everything is okay now," he said.

At least seven hotel personnel have been questioned.

Activities at the BBD building returned to normal at midday
after police examined the scene and questioned a number of
witnesses.

In another related development, City Military Chief Maj. Gen.
Wiranto pledged to help investigate the ownership of the gun
after the police establish its type and model.

"Soon after the police conclude their examination on the
bullets, we'll need to know whether the gun belongs to the
military and help find the owner," Wiranto said. (bsr/05/29)