Police seize 321 stolen vehicles
Police seize 321 stolen vehicles
JAKARTA (JP): The City Police have seized a total of 321
stolen vehicles of various types and brands in a series of
massive on-the-road operations throughout the city over the past
two months.
Some of the stolen cars lack the required legal documents,
while the papers for the others were falsified.
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto said not a
single suspect has been arrested for the thefts thus far.
Only the driver of a sports car, estimated to cost around Rp
200 million (US$91,533), is still being questioned because the
documents he had for the car had been falsified.
Hindarto said, the police strongly believe that the people
involved in the vehicle theft gangs are "the old players".
"Everybody knows that they stole the cars due to their
standard modus operandi, involving the use of screwdrivers and
rulers," he said.
Hindarto revealed that his detectives have identified at least
12 previously existing vehicle theft gangs and eight new groups
operating in the city.
The police are still working to collect enough evidence to tie
these groups to the thefts of the vehicles impounded.
Hindarto also said that most of the cars without legal
documents might have been brought in from overseas by their
owners, particularly people who had been studying abroad.
"They put the vehicles in containers which were sealed with
papers saying that they contained certain other goods," he said.
Out of the 321 stolen cars, 150 are parked at the City Police
Headquarters, while the remaining 171 are parked at police
precincts. Of these, 17 vehicles are in Central Jakarta, 26 in
North Jakarta, 74 in East Jakarta and 15 in Tangerang.
"We invite the public whose cars have been stolen to take a
look at the vehicles," Hindarto said.
Those who have legal documents and can identify specific
identifying marks on the cars can take their vehicles back, he
explained.
Legal procedures require that the process of getting back the
cars be free of charge, but it has been reported that some people
give officers up to Rp 2 million for their services.
"I think we have to appreciate the work the police did to get
back my sedan because they also spent quite a lot of money and
time in seizing the cars," a female motorist, whose stolen sedan
was recovered, told The Jakarta Post recently.
Most of the stolen cars are Toyota and Mitsubishi minibuses
and sedans. (bsr)