Servant empties foreigner's house

BOGOR (JP): Bogor City Police detectives have apprehended a 17-year-old servant who is believed to have stolen electronic goods from the house of his employer in North Bogor.

Deputy chief Maj. Weri Sudjatmiko said on Monday the suspect, Asep Saepuloh, stole the goods in stages while his employer, William S. Brown, an Australian national traveled to the resort island of Bali.

"The suspect sold the stolen goods, worth Rp 6 million (US$890) in total, to the interested parties immediately after carrying out his mission," officer Weri said.

Weri said the servant, Asep, was during the period when the goods went missing, alone in the house at the Indraprasta II housing complex on Jl. Destarata.

He said Brown was only alerted to the theft shortly after he returned on Oct. 22 from his Bali trip.

Weri said Asep had admitted that he carried out the first stage of the robbery at about 3 p.m. on Oct. 15, when he removed from the house a 14-inch Detron color television.

"He said he immediately sold the stolen TV to someone called Saepur Bari for Rp 500,000," the officer said.

On the next morning, Asep allegedly stole a 12-kilogram stove gas container from the kitchen and sold it to a man called Kurnia Abadi for Rp 150,000.

Weri said that Asep began to feel that because everything had gone smoothly, he would help himself to more electronic goods. He allegedly grabbed on Oct. 17 his employer's Sanex VCD player for Rp 500,000 from Saepul Bari.

"Feeling more secure, the suspect this time stole more goods from the house which he was supposed to safeguard," Weri said.

At 3 p.m. on Oct. 19, the suspect allegedly loaded a Denpo refrigerator, a fan and a Nintendo electronic game into Kurnia's Suzuki Carry van.

Asep received Rp 450,000 for these goods from Kurnia's sister, Kelly.

"The arrest of the suspect was made shortly after his employer filed on Friday a report of the robbery to the police, and following on the foreigner's suspicions of the servant," Weri said. (24/bsr)