Thieves away with Rp 500m

BOGOR (JP): Police detectives are on the lookout for five men who made away with Rp 500 million (US$58,800) worth of cash, gold, diamond jewelry, and other valuables, during a Friday midday armed robbery at a private residence in the Villa Duta housing complex, East Bogor.

One of the victims, Kungkung, 80, said there were seven people at his residence, including himself and his three grandchildren, when the robbery occurred.

"At about 11 a.m. on Friday, five unidentified people arrived in two cars at our residence, pretending to be delivering a package from a man named Chang Chung from Semarang," Kungkung told reporters.

"I didn't know anybody by that name, so I refused to open the door to the men."

Sometime later, the five men arrived again, dressed as officers of the state-owned electricity company PLN, and said that they wanted to repair some electrical cables.

"This time I let them in, and they immediately produced a sickle, a machete and a revolver... all of these (weapons) were pointed at me," Kungkung said.

The robbers tied up Kungkung and the six others who were in the house, before locking them in a bathroom and warning them to stay quiet.

The people who were bound were identified as maids Enung and Umi, Kungkung's grandchildren Laura, 16, Michael, 7, and Amanda, 14, and the gardener Sumadi, 45.

Kungkung said that the robbers made away with US$10,000, S$1,000, 75 grams of gold and diamond jewelry, a handycam, a computer, a laser disc player, a mobile phone and a pair of shoes. (21/ylt)