Police nab kidnappers of politician's son
Police nab kidnappers of politician's son
Evi Mariani, Jakarta
Jakarta Police announced on Friday they had arrested five people
alleged to have kidnapped the a son of a Democratic Party
legislator-elect and said the motive behind the abduction was not
political.
The alleged mastermind of the kidnapping was identified as
Husni, who was a relative of the legislator, Tri Yulianto, and
lived at his house on Jl. Wijaya Kusuma in Duren Sawit, East
Jakarta, police said.
"Our investigation found the motive was purely criminal, not
political," the city police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara
said. "The ringleader said he needed money for his mother-in-law,
who is sick in Boyolali, Central Java."
Makbul said the suspects had demanded Rp 300 million
(US$31,915) in ransom from Tri for the return of his son, Faisal
Akbar.
Their demand Tri resign from the campaign team of presidential
candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was a ploy, meant to put the
police off the scent, he said.
Husni hired four people -- Gaby Manoppo, Lia, M. Wildan and
Tono -- to execute his plan. From the four suspects, the police
seized scrap paper with an abduction scenario written by Husni
and a picture of 15-year-old Faisal.
Police arrested the four accomplices on Thursday morning in
different places including Jatinegara, East Jakarta and in
Kwitang, Central Jakarta. Based on their information, police
later summoned Husni for questioning and detained him later that
day.
The police did not reveal how much money Husni had promised to
the four suspects for their services.
Faisal was telephoned by Gaby on Tuesday at 1 p.m. She claimed
to be working for Tri and said he planned to give his son a
motorcycle. She told Faisal he could choose his favorite model at
a motorcycle showroom near the Arion Plaza on Jl. Pemuda, East
Jakarta.
The boy rushed to the showroom taking an ojek (motorcycle
taxi) as his father had earlier promised him a motorcycle. When
arriving at the showroom, the salesmen there said there was no
arrangement with Tri.
Faisal then walked home when a blue Toyota Kijang minivan
approached him and the suspects forced him into the car. Inside,
the four suspects claimed they were Democratic Party members and
gave a drink to Faisal that made him lose consciousness.
He was later taken to a guest house in Cisarua, Bogor. On
Wednesday morning, three of the suspects guarded Faisal but later
two left him alone with Tono, who then asked Faisal to play
billiards at a billiard hall near the guest house. Later Tono
also left, saying he needed to go to the restroom.
Faisal took the opportunity to escape and returned home
safely.