'The Godfather' shot dead

'The Godfather' shot dead

JAKARTA (JP): A policeman shot dead a hardcore criminal known among thieves as 'The Godfather' during Wednesday's pre-dawn raid in an unauthorized low-class prostitution area.

Gunawan, a repeat offender, was shot in his stomach as he tried to attack a police officer with a sickle, said city police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna.

Police found Gunawan's hiding place following a tip from Kardanus Wayan, one of Gunawan's gang members, who was nabbed on Monday at his house in Depok.

The group is believed to have committed a series of robberies with assault in and around the city in the last two years.

Iman said Gunawan was found in the Pejompongan Indah red-light district after committing a crime in West Jakarta.

He had followed the detectives' order to pass through the crowd at the prostitution complex before he took his sickle out of his shirt and attacked one of the officers. However, the bullet hit him before his sickle wounded the officer.

Iman said a number of Gunawan's men are still at large. (bsr)