Teenagers arrested for theft of side mirrors

JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested 10 teenagers for their alleged involvement in a series of street crimes at major traffic lights, Jakarta police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang said on Tuesday.

Aritonang said that the 10 were all caught red-handed attempting to remove rearview mirrors of luxury cars on Monday.

"Our detectives will continue intensifying raids against such amateur street criminals as their number is growing," he said.

The teenagers were arrested at street intersections on Jl. Rasuna Said in Kuningan, Jl. Raya Cinere and the CSW -- all in South Jakarta.

From the suspects police confiscated several pairs of rearview mirrors from various types of cars, knives and screwdrivers.

"In their activities they usually work in a group of two or three people by approaching cars which stop at the red lights and threatening the drivers, while an accomplice removes the rearview mirrors," Aritonang said.

The teenagers usually target luxury cars like BMWs, Mercedes Benzes, Toyota Land Cruiser vans and Opel Blazer vans, he said.

From the preliminary questioning, the teenagers admitted that they had operated in their respective areas for more than six months and earned at least Rp 100,000 per day, he said.

"They sell the stolen goods to a vendor at a flea market in Poncol," Aritonang said, referring to an area in Senen in Central Jakarta.

Without citing specific trademarks, Aritonang said a pair of rearview mirrors sells at around Rp 250,000 (US$33.3) to Rp 300,000.

When asked whether the police would also develop investigations to cover those who buy the stolen goods, he said that they would surely monitor the people who ran the illegal business without necessarily arresting them. (emf)