Robbers kill two, escape with Rp 1.8b

BOGOR (JP): Armed robbers killed a policeman and a security officer, and injured two other people before escaping with Rp 1.8 billion (US$211,765) owned by Bank Lippo here on Friday.

Bogor Police deputy chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Makmun Saleh said on Friday that the robbery's execution indicated it had been committed by cold-blooded criminals.

"If they weren't cold-blooded criminals, they wouldn't have shot and killed them," he said.

Eyewitnesses said that the robbery took place at 11.15 a.m. when Bank Lippo driver Edy Supriyatna and cashier Meidy Lien were traveling in a white Kijang van to PT Great River building in Jl. Raya Cibinong to deliver the Rp1.8 billion in cash. They were escorted by security officer Zaeni Tohir, 29, and police officer Sudiran, 35.

Ida Lubis, 40, who witnessed the robbery, said that before the robbery took place, she saw two men with crewcut hairstyles park their RX-King motorcycle in front of Apotik Mitra Farma near her food stall on Jl. Raya Simpang Pomad, Cibinong.

As usual, traffic jams on the road caused motorists to drive slowly. When the Bank Lippo minivan passed Ida's stall, one of the motorcyclists approached it and aimed his pistol at the men inside. While he was circling the Kijang minivan, he shot at it several times.

"I was very afraid as the robbery took place right in front of me. First I thought the police inside were after robbers but in fact the robbers shot at the men inside," she said.

She said the robbers shot Sudiran and Zaeni Tohir and injured Meidy Lien and Edy Supriyatna.

After that, the robbers shot the minivan's rear glass and took the money.

"They escaped easily with the motorcycle passing through the traffic jam," Ida said.

Great River general affairs manager Sero Adikaryo said that, as usual, on Friday morning his company asked two cashiers of the company, Suswati and Susilowati, to cash cheques worth Rp 1.8 billion with Bank Lippo in Jl. Juanda, Bogor, which is about 20 kilometers away from the clothing manufacturer's premises.

The money would have been used to pay the monthly salaries of 1,500 workers, whose salaries range from Rp 550,000 to Rp 2,000,000. The textile company employs 8,200 people.

He said that Bank Lippo's staff members always delivered the money to the PT Great River building, while his company's cashiers followed from behind using the company's Kijang minivan.

Makmun said that the police were investigating the case.

This is the third robbery involving banks or their clients this month. On Aug. 2, armed robbers seized some Rp 150 million from a client of state-owned Bank Mandiri in Sawah Besar, West Jakarta. On Aug. 27, armed criminals stole Rp 180 million from two employees of PT Cira Setya Sapta, who were transferring the money to a Bank BCA branch in Tebet, South Jakarta. (21/bnt)