Sofjan makes Tommy his first target of work
Sofjan makes Tommy his first target of work
JAKARTA (JP): Incoming city police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan
Yacob vowed on Friday to track down and arrest the country's most
wanted fugitive, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra.
Sofjan, who would officially replace outgoing Insp. Gen.
Mulyono Sulaiman, vowed to make the arrest of Tommy his first
target as Jakarta Police chief.
"I will do my best to track Tommy down. Searches will be
conducted regularly across greater Jakarta, and regular
coordination will be held with Interpol. Nationwide searches will
also be held," Sofjan told reporters at city police headquarters
on Friday.
"We have notified via Interpol police forces worldwide that
should Tommy be sighted anywhere, we are to be notified
immediately."
But Sofyan, former South Sulawesi Police chief, refused to set
a deadline to arrest Tommy.
"I am not going to promise anything, but I am going to do my
best to get hold of that fugitive."
Sofjan had spent five years teaching at the National Defense
Institute (Lemhannas) before taking up the post as South Sulawesi
Police chief.
He is due to retire sometime next year.
Tommy, the youngest son of former president Soeharto, has been
on the run since last November. He was sentenced to 18 months in
jail for corruption last September.
Since his escape, the National Police have led nationwide
searches under the leadership of two special police teams, one of
which was reportedly disbanded after its failure to locate Tommy.
Police have questioned numerous controversial figures
suspected of aiding Tommy in his escape, including Tommy's lawyer
Nudirman Munir, Tommy's confidant, bomb suspect Elize Maria
Tuwahatu, Tommy's wife Ardhia Pramesti "Tata" Regita Cahyani and
more recently Tommy's former girlfriend, ex-model Lani
Banjaranti.
Other fruitless measures police took to locate Tommy, whom
they still believe is in Jakarta, was breaking into sections of
Tommy's residence in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta, and
conducting searches in the residences of Soeharto, Tommy's
brothers and sisters and other family members. (ylt)