PPP chairman's house robbed

BOGOR (JP): A group of robbers ransacked the house of Hamzah Haz, chairman the United Development Party (PPP) in Kebon Pedes of Tanah Sareal district, North Bogor in the wee hours on Wednesday.

Hamzah's son, Mulya, said the robbers broke through the window on the side of the house.

"They took a television set and a cassette player from a Land Cruiser jeep," 27-year-old Mulya said, adding that the robbers probably fled the scene in a hurry before sunrise and didn't have an opportunity to steal other valuable items.

Hamzah Haz -- former minister of investment for president Habibie and former coordinating minister of people's welfare and poverty eradication under President Abdurrahman -- and his family only learned about the incident later in the day.

Neighbors said that the night before the incident they saw a car loaded with five men circling around Hamzah's house several times.

"We became suspicious but we never expected any robbery to happen," a local said.

North Bogor Police quickly investigate the case, deploying Police Dog K-9 Unit and taking prints from the scene.

The officers, however, refused to comment when asked for further confirmation. (21/edt)