Police perplexed by series of armed robberies

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)