Police seize 25 vehicles from three auto theft gangs
Police seize 25 vehicles from three auto theft gangs
JAKARTA (JP): City police detectives have confiscated 25
stolen vehicles, mostly Kijang and Isuzu Panther vans and Feroza
jeeps, in the last two weeks.
Chief of the Jakarta Police detectives Col. Alex Bambang
Riatmodjo told reporters on Friday the vehicles were seized from
three auto theft gangs.
"We've busted six members of the gangs, while the other five
are still at large."
Police said each of the gangs had varying numbers of members.
Alex identified the suspects as Wawan, Andi, Edi, Sumarno,
Rudy and Surip.
The first four are from one gang. Rudy was involved with three
others, all of whom are still at large. Surip is also believed to
have worked with two accomplices.
The gangs used different techniques in the thefts, Alex said.
"Wawan's group, for example, applied the outdated modus
operandi of first observing the area in their own car to look for
targets before stealing the people's vehicles using duplicate
ignition keys."
Wawan's gang members were all nabbed in the town of Cirebon in
West Java. Police confiscated 13 cars, including a black BMW
sedan.
Police considered Rudy's group violent because members often
wounded others during the theft.
Alex said the gang focused its operation on rental company
vehicles. Pretending to be a businessman, Rudy hired cars for a
one-day trip to Bogor or Bandung.
On the way, Rudy would ask the driver to pull over at a
particular location on the pretense that he wanted to pick up
friends.
"Shortly after his friends were already inside the car, the
group pulled rope around the driver's neck, beat him and
abandoned him in a deserted area," Alex said.
Rudy was arrested on Monday at his residence in Joglo, West
Jakarta. From his house, which he also used illegally as a
showroom, police confiscated five cars, all believed to be
stolen.
Surip and his two gang members usually began their operations
by making inspections using two motorcycles.
"If they found the right cars, one of the group members then
started the operation by damaging the car's door lock and
starting the engine by using fake keys," Alex said.
"For backup, the other members waited on alert on the other
motorcycle to watch the situation."
Surip was arrested on Monday in Bogor.
From information he provided, police have been able to trace
the whereabouts of seven Kijang vans, sold to a secondhand car
dealer in the Cibinong area.
Alex recommended that people with recently missing vehicles
should visit the city police headquarters on Jl. Sudirman in
South Jakarta. Seized vehicles are on display in one of the
compound's parking lots.
"Help police to settle the matter by checking the cars here
and claiming if one of them is yours," he said. (emf)