Thieves beat driver, steal car

Thieves beat driver, steal car

JAKARTA (JP): Four suspected car thieves calling themselves
police officers, beat a man with a steel pipe before taking off
with the latter's blue Opel Blazer sedan, on Jl. Supratman in
Ciputat, South Jakarta, early on Thursday morning, a city police
spokesman said.

Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said the victim was 40-year-old Bambang
Sugiarto, who was the driver of the stolen car.

"The Kebayoran Lama subprecinct received a call at 2 a.m.,
from Bambang, to rush over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Rempoa housing complex in Ciputat, where he had been beaten up
and thrown out of a van," Zainuri said.

"When the police arrived, they found Bambang with a bloodied
left elbow, nose, and chin. They rushed Bambang to the nearby
Fatmawati hospital."

Quoting Bambang, Zainuri said the driver was on his way to
Ciputat when he felt he was being followed by a gray Toyota
Kijang van.

"Suddenly, when Bambang got near the Ratna dispensary, on Jl.
Supratman, the robbers used their van to block Bambang's car. The
robbers got out of the van, declared themselves to be city police
officers, and demanded Bambang show them his car's papers,"
Zainuri said.

Bambang was then dragged out of his car and thrown into the
robbers' van, where they threatened him with a sickle and beat
him up with a steel pipe, before gagging his mouth with a
handkerchief.

"The robbers then drove away with both the car and the van.
They threw Bambang out at the Rempoa housing complex." (ylt)