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)