South Jakarta police arrest two officers for car theft
JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta Police detectives arrested six people, including two active police officers and the wife of a Jakarta Police officer over the weekend for, among other things, allegedly being involved in the theft of a vehicle.
South Jakarta Police chief of detectives Maj. Rycko Amelza Daniel identified the officers as First Sgt. Agus Pranoto of the Ciputat Police patrol unit and Sgt. Maj. Yudhi of the Ciputat traffic police.
The wife of the city police officer was identified solely as Betty. The other suspected civilians were identified as Mrs. Alatas, Demit and Kaiman, alias Pai. Another suspect, Pardi, is still at large.
"Agus, Demit and Pardi tried to steal a red Suzuki carry van at the house of victim Jumna Junadi, at about 2 a.m. in Kreo, Ciputat, on Dec. 13 last year," Rycko said.
When spotted by the owner, who hastily screamed for help, Pardi, who had a gun, shot at a window of the house to scare Jumna, the officer added.
According to Rycko, the Ciputat Police had long since suspected Agus' role in several car thefts in the area, but never had any solid evidence to arrest the sergeant.
When Jumna reported the robbery and described one of the suspects, Ciputat Police chief Capt. Assegaf immediately named the crook as Agus.
"When the laboratory results of the bullet were sent back from the National Police forensic laboratory to us, we were sure that it came from Agus's gun," Rycko said.
The police detectives then rushed to arrest Agus and seized his gun.
"He's currently being interrogated by Jakarta Police internal affairs," Rycko said.
Following his arrest, the South Jakarta Police officers then apprehended the other five suspects.
"We'll nail the two officers, together with the two civilians, Demit and Pai, under Article 365 of the Indonesian Criminal Code for attempted theft."
"The two women will be arrested under Article 480 for selling the cars stolen by the officers and their gang. Dossiers of the six suspects are in the hands of the city police," officer Rycko explained.
In an unrelated development, South Jakarta detectives have also arrested a man and a wife of a Navy officer in connection with an illegal gun trade.
Detective First. Lt. Sandi Nugroho identified the suspects as Masril Basri, 39, who attempted to illegally sell an FN gun of .22 caliber to Sandi, who was undercover at a Padang restaurant in Pasar Minggu on Tuesday.
The woman, Lusi Marwati, 24, was charged with providing Masril with her husband's gun.
Sandi said Masril knew of the whereabouts of another FN gun and two Colt guns, all of which he had meant to sell.
"When I met him at the restaurant, he told me that I would have no problems possessing the guns illegally, since he was a Tanah Abang preman (hoodlum) and had good connections with the police," Sandi said.
Separately, Masril, who was sobbing bitterly when being interviewed by reporters on Sunday, said he had wanted to sell the FN gun to a togel (illegal gambling) godfather in Pasar Minggu when the undercover officer approached him.
"I was supposed to sell the gun for Rp 10 million ... Rp 5 million in cash as down payment, the rest was to be paid in installments," Masril said.
He said his five-month pregnant wife did not know he had been arrested.
"I've been out of work for eight months ... from the topmost strand of my hair to the tip of my toe, I am not lying to you." He added that the gun was given to him by Lucy. (ylt)