Mon, 04 Aug 2003

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.