Thieves net Rp 3b in armed robbery

JAKARTA (JP): Four armed men posing as couriers robbed the house of Sudjono, chairman of the Indonesian Bar Association (Ikadin), in Depok, south of here, making away with valuables and cash worth Rp 3 billion (US$300,000).

"Sudjono's wife and two children were tied up, gagged and locked in the bathroom, while the robbers made away with the goods. Sudjono was held at gunpoint," Depok police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Amhar Azeth said on Friday.

The incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, he said. The robbers used a blue Feroza jeep and knocked on Sudjono's door on Jl. Harjamurti Kav. III in Cimanggis, Depok, saying they had a parcel to deliver.

Amhar said that three of the robbers were armed with FN guns and one with a sickle. They made away with at least seven Rolex watches, one kilogram of pure gold, hundreds of millions of rupiah, several hundred US dollars, some Malaysian ringgit and Singapore dollars, and other equipment including televisions and cellular phones. The total value of the goods was Rp 3 billion.

The police are still investigating a number of gangs who operate in the elite areas of Depok.

"We are still studying a number of gangs ... we have yet to come up with any leads," Amhar told The Jakarta Post.

"We believe that these robbers had been studying him and his family for some time now."

There have been many reports about robberies in which the criminals work in a group and drive a car. They pretend to deliver a package, but as soon as the door is open, they would rush into the house and hold up the residents. They would not hesitate to attack the victims if they try to resist.

Bogor police detectives last week arrested a member of a gang who admitted to have committed at least 13 robberies using a similar method. (ylt)