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)