Police stymied in search for showroom robbers

JAKARTA (JP): East Jakarta Police detectives are finding it difficult to locate three members of an armed gang who wounded a high school girl during a robbery on Thursday afternoon, an officer said.

Chief of the police precinct Lt. Col. Tjiptono said on Friday that one of the four robbers, who was caught by the victim's brother with the help of passersby, told the police he knew their names but not their addresses.

"We know their identities but we're still working on how to get their addresses and trace their whereabouts," Tjiptono said, declining to give further details.

The arrested man has been identified as 23-year-old Rudy, alias Abdul Latif of Kebon Nanas subdistrict in Jatinegara.

Rudy is receiving treatment at Soekanto Police Hospital in Kramat Jati after being severely wounded during the arrest.

Separately, chief of Duren Sawit Police subprecinct Capt. Edi Setyobudi said one of the escaped robbers was a convict, who was once jailed in North Jakarta for armed robbery.

"We'd better not publicize his name as we're still after him," Edi said.

Edi also said the police had so far received only a few clues from the wounded Rudy.

"Maybe in two or three days' time we can question him."

The story

In an attempt to snatch a bag containing Rp 33 million (US$4,714) from Rizky Amalia, a student of state SMU 30 high school, the robbers, driving two motorcycles and armed with machetes, wounded the girl in an audacious robbery in front of a car showroom in East Jakarta.

The girl, who had just left a bank to buy a new Ford sedan with her parents and elder brother, reportedly had both her palms slashed.

According to her parents and brother Alfi Firmansyah, the bandits followed their car from a bank in the Matraman area.

Upon their arrival at the Tambra Motor showroom on Jl. I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Klender, Amalia was the first to alight from the car. She was holding the bag containing the money.

Two men on a motorcycle suddenly tried to grab the bag from the girl, who was still wearing her white and gray school uniform.

Amalia tried to hold onto the bag, prompting one of the robbers to use his machete and slash Amalia's hands.

The two men managed to get the bag and when onlookers and passersby tried to chase them, another motorcycle with two men on it arrived and blocked the people's way.

A witness to the incident, Alfi, gave chase to the motorcycles and after running 100 meters he managed to lunge at one of them.

Rudy, who was the back passenger on the motorcycle, fell off and started swinging his machete at people who had come to Alfi's assistance.

At least two people were injured on their hands and fingers.

The onlookers, however, soon outnumbered Rudy and mobbed him.

Some, however, initially wanted to burn Rudy, but others reminded them that if they burned him they would lose clues on the other robbers. (emf)