Police raid gambling dens, arrest 565 suspects
Police raid gambling dens, arrest 565 suspects
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police have launched a concerted raid against several gambling
dens in the capital and arrested a total of 565 people as
suspects in a month-long raid.
City Police Detective for Vice and Street Hoodlums Section
Adj. Sr. Comr. Idham Azis said on Thursday that raids were made
after a tip from another citizen.
"It's part of the police effort to get rid of unauthorized
gambling in the city," he said.
In the latest public crackdown on Wednesday evening, the
police raided four covert casinos, one in Mega Mall Pluit, North
Jakarta; another at Gading 89 in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta;
one in ITC Roxy Mas and the Malioboro building on Jl. Gajah Mada,
both are in Central Jakarta.
Police arrested 119 suspects and seized Rp 37.4 million
(US$4,560) in cash and 18 processing devices, which is a software
system to run the gambling machines.
"We have detained 26 of the arrests. We won't from them from
detention," Idham said, adding that the remaining 93 should
report to the police once a week.
All 565 of the suspects will reportedly be put on trial.
According to the existing law and regulations, including the
government regulation No. 9/1981, all forms of gambling are a
crime. Those who break the law will be sentenced to a maximum of
10 years in jail or fined up to Rp 10 million.
Despite the mass arrest, Idham admitted that no known gambling
bosses were arrested.
"Most of them are only managers of the sites," he said.
The police have claimed publicly that they were trying to
fight gambling in the city but, amazingly enough gambling dens
seem to be on the increase. It is essentially public knowledge
that the police themselves often "protect" the illegal businesses
and use them as cash cows.
Back in the 1970s, then Governor Ali Sadikin legalized
gambling in a limited way, by providing several locations for
gambling, they were still "protected" by unscrupulous officials
who also may have benefited financially.
The City's official revenue earned from gambling taxes was
then used to finance development projects in the city.
After criticism from ulemas and other religious leaders,
gambling was later banned.
Incumbent Governor Sutiyoso said in April last year that his
administration planned to build infrastructure for casinos in the
Thousand Islands, North Jakarta.
However, his administration failed to implement the plan due
to strong oppositions from some public figures.