South Jakarta police arrest two officers for car theft

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)