Police seize four trucks of 'raskin'

BOGOR: Bogor Police arrested on Friday the drivers of four trucks loaded with rice for the poor (raskin).

The police said they suspected the rice was destined for the Cipinang market instead of being distributed among poor residents for a low price as stipulated by a national program that provides inexpensive rice for the public. At the market, the rice would have been sold at the normal police, police said.

Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang Sugeng said on Monday that the rice loaded onto the trucks, which were stopped on Jl. Bubulak in Bogor, was supposed to be distributed to 13 villages in Jasinga subdistrict of the Bogor regency.

The four drivers of the trucks, Suminta, 40, Kiki, 38, Yeyen, 50, and another man who has not yet been identified, are in police custody.

Bambang said that the police were still investigating the case and were not able yet to say if the four suspects were illegally transporting the rice.

There have been several reports of rice allocated for the poor being taken by local officials, however, no cases have been brought to court.

Separately, Western Bogor Police chief Adj. Comr. Dewo Dewanto said that the drivers were arrested because they were not carrying the appropriate documents.

The chairman of the Bogor State Logistics Bureau (Bulog), Asep Tajudin, told the media that he was surprised to hear of the alleged theft of the rice.

He said that the rice had been taken from the Bulog storehouse on Jl. Dramaga in Bogor on Friday and was to be distributed to 13 villages in Jasinga subdistrict.--JP