Six armed robbers break in at dawn

JAKARTA (JP): A group of six robbers, armed with sharp weapons, broke into a house in Central Jakarta early on Sunday, making off with a car, jewelry, and electronics goods totaling Rp 85.6 million (US$12,230).

A local police officer said the robbery on Jl. Kelinci in the Pasar Baru area was still under investigation.

The gang broke into the house at around 4:35 a.m. when the house owners, Gobind Tourmal Bhozwani, 52, and his wife Veenu, 50, and their 23-year-old son, Sonil, were sleeping.

After breaking into the house, one of the crooks then entered Gobind's bedroom and placed a sickle to his neck.

Gobind then was tied up with shoe strings and gagged with a handkerchief. His wife and son were similarly tied up.

According to Sonil, something which looked like an FN revolver was pointed at him.

"I'm not sure whether the FN was real or not, because I just glanced at it," he told reporters at the scene.

After paralyzing the victims, the robbers then took all the valuable belongings they could find in the house, including gold jewelry, a television set, a camcorder and Rp 4 million in cash.

The robbers then left in the family's Kijang van. (01/06)