Robbers escape with Rp 5b in checks

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Two robbers on a motorcycle grabbed the bag of a businessman in Medan, North Sumatra, on Friday and fled with Rp 5 million (US$574) and dozens of checks worth some Rp 5 billion.

The 50-year-old victim, Sulaiman, the owner of motorcycle distributor PT Global Mandiri, had just arrived at Eksekutif Bank on Jl. Pemuda, Medan, but the robbers suddenly seized his bag as he left his car.

"The crooks escaped quickly to Jl. Ahmad Yani on a Yamaha Force One motorcycle that did not have a registration number," Sulaiman told a police investigator. --JP