Police release pregnant `gambler'

Police release pregnant `gambler'

JAKARTA (JP): Police have released a pregnant woman who was
arrested along with over 200 people during a recent raid on
gambling dens in Pluit, North Jakarta.

City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto cited police
compassion as the reason for the release.

With the exception of the woman, all of the other suspects
remain in police custody, Hindarto said yesterday.

He, however, gave no further explanation.

A total of 238 people were caught in the early morning on
Saturday at the two-story Lucky Plaza building on Jl. Pluit Indah
Jaya by a 40-member Operation Cleansing team from the Jakarta
Chapter for the Agency of the Support for National Stability
(Bakorstanasda Jaya).

Of the total, five are Malaysians, one a Hong Kong national
and another Taiwanese. The remaining 231 suspects are
Indonesians, mostly of Chinese descent. Included among them are
two newspaper reporters and two lawyers.

During the late night raid, the team also seized Rp 44.9
million (US$20,880) in cash and gambling equipment.

Following non-stop questioning, the team, led by Lt. Col. RR
Simbolon from Jakarta Military Headquarters, handed over the
suspects to City Police Headquarters for further investigation.

The police, however, claimed that the number of suspects
brought to the headquarters was only 235 people.

Police officers also refused to comment much about the
suspected gamblers, in particular about the seven foreigners.

"I do not dare to comment further on the case because it
involves two institutions (police and military offices)," City
Police spokesman Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar told reporters
yesterday.

As of their fifth day at police custody yesterday, many
colleagues and relatives, including children, of the suspects
were still arriving at headquarters to visit the suspected
gamblers.

According to the existing law, a gambler might face a maximum
imprisonment of four years or a maximum fine of Rp 10 million
(US$4,650), if convicted.

"But the police are required to comprehensively investigate
alleged suspects before clarifying that they are really suspects
in the dossiers," Latief said.

"It is not a must that all people arrested in such a raid
should become suspects. Therefore, we have to question them,
about many things including whether they have an alibi and some
things like that," he explained. (bsr)