Police shot auto-theft suspect
Police shot auto-theft suspect
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
South Jakarta Police have smashed a car-theft ring during a
raid on a car-theft ring tied to an Indonesian Army soldier,
killing a man alleged to have robbed the house of a former
minister of religious affairs.
Police raided a house in Curug, Tangerang, Banten province, on
Friday evening following a tipoff from gang-member Tonyik, alias
Manto or Edi, who was arrested at his home in Pisangan Baru, East
Jakarta, on Wednesday.
"We arrested four suspects but one of them resisted arrest by
firing at police officers, so we fired back killing him," said
South Jakarta top detective, Comr. Merdisyam.
Police arrested Second Sgt. Muklisin, a member of the Jakarta
Main Regiment, along with three other suspects Iskandar, alias
Pria, 23 and Riski, alias Tonye, 22.
During the raid, Caswan, alias Iwan, 22, allegedly shot at the
detectives using a .22 caliber gun but was shot in the chest and
leg when police returned fire. He died on the way to Soekanto
Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.
Police have been hunting for the thieves following the arrest
of 11 gang members on June, 25. The arrests include Alex, an ex-
convict and the alleged brains behind the outfit.
The professional gang had organized distribution networks.
Police are still investigating the extent of the network.
Merdisyam said Tonyik had confessed that the robberies were
supervised by Mukhlisin.
He said the theives had committed several robberies across the
capital, targeting mostly new luxury cars.
In South Jakarta alone, there were 11 cases allegedly
committed by the group, including at the residence of former
minister of religious affairs Quraish Shihab on Jl. Jeruk Purut,
East Cilandak subdistrict, Pasar Minggu, East Jakarta on June 11.
The armed robbers stole a new Toyota Camry from the garage
after cutting through a locked gate. The vehicle was later
recovered in Medan, South Sumatra.
It was been sold by the robbers for Rp 200 million, much lower
than its original price tag of Rp 350 million.
The robbers used a certain method, often tailing intended
victims from parking lots at shopping malls to the victim's home.
Some of the members then staked out the house, attacking the
owners in their homes to get the keys or confronting them in
their driveways.
"The armed robbers are ready to commit violence with their
guns if the owners resist," said Merdisyam.
Jakarta Police figures show that they received 2,922 reports
of auto theft comprising 2,370 motorcycles, 545 cars and seven
three-wheeled vehicles in the first six months of 2003.
Auto theft become the second major offenses, after burglary
which reached 2,955 cases and followed by robbery of 718 cases
and homicide of 674 cases.
Last year a total of 5,992 auto theft cases were reported,
4,687 cases of burglary and 2,099 cases of robbery.