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)