Police perplexed by series of armed robberies

JAKARTA (JP): City police detectives are puzzled by three armed robberies which took place on Saturday, the second day of the Idul Fitri holiday.

The first case occurred at the home of a former National Police deputy chief of operational affairs, Maj. Gen. (ret) Putera Astaman, on Jl. Durian in Ciganjur.

According to South Jakarta Police deputy chief of detectives First Lt. Firman Noorsya, his men were still searching for any possible clues left by the gang of nine armed robbers who ransacked most of the contents of Putera's home, including a bag containing police weapons, late on Saturday night.

"We're still searching for clues. We suspect the robbers broke into the house from the rear entrance where a vacant field is located," the officer said on Monday.

The robbers must have cut the barbed wire on top of the walls," Firman added.

During the incident, both Putera and his wife were on their way to Idul Fitri celebrations at the residences of Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mahadi Sinambela.

Four of their six maids were away on holiday.

Erwin, the adopted son of Putera, was with his wife and child at their home in Cimanggis.

According to Erwin, the robbers first held a sickle to the necks of Ngadimin, 25, their gardener and security guard. They then tied Ngadimin up before throwing him into the pavilion behind the house.

The robbers then went to the main house, where one of them held a sickle to the neck of Ni Wayan Torni, 27, a housemaid, and threatened to rape and kill her if she did not give them the key to the master bedroom.

The robbers not only took the bag of weapons from the bedroom, but also made away with a 20-inch TV set, a tape recorder, a video compact disc player (VCD), an expensive wristwatch, a fax machine and telephone sets.

The stolen goods were then thrown into one of Putera's cars, a Toyota Kijang van, which was later used by the group to get away.

The other two unsolved cases of armed robberies took place in Central Jakarta.

According to Central Jakarta Police chief of detectives, Maj. Budiono Sandi, the first robbery was believed to have been carried out by a gang of five or six men armed with sharp weapons and a gun at the house of Gobind Tourmal Bhozwani, 52, on Jl. Kelinci in the Pasar Baru area.

The bandits made off with a Kijang van, jewelry and electronics goods, all totaling Rp 85.6 million.

Budiono explained that the robbers had broken into the house through the front door. The noise apparently woke Gobind.

Gobind's hands were immediately tied up with shoelaces and his mouth stuffed with a handkerchief. While two robbers held Gobind's relatives at gunpoint, the others ransacked the house.

The second armed robbery on Saturday took place at the residence of Amhar Moelia, 63, on Jl. Cikini V No. 15A, in Menteng.

"The robbers entered the house by breaking through the fenced gate of the home, broke through the front door and then Amhar's bedroom door," officer Budiono said.

The robbers broke open Amhar's safe and stole Rp 10 million and US$10,000 from it.

Amhar's passport and land certificates, jewelry, including gold, diamonds, and two Rolex watches were also stolen," the officer said.

While the two cases are still under investigation, Budiono and his personnel also have a new assignment: to immediately solve the Monday morning robbery at a house on Jl. Cempaka Putih Barat in Cempaka Putih district.

The house belongs to 20-year-old Gusti Agung. A tape recorder, a gas cylinder and several other items, all together worth Rp 5 million, were stolen.

Gusti was on a family business trip to Bali," Budiono said.

"We so far suspect that the crime was carried out by a gang of three or four people who broke into the house through the window," he said. (ylt)