Third suspect in Grogol gold robbery caught

Third suspect in Grogol gold robbery caught

JAKARTA (JP): Police detectives have arrested in a raid a
third person suspected in last month's robbery in West Jakarta in
which a police sergeant was shot dead.

But in the raid Thursday on a house in Bangil, Pasuruan, East
Java, one of the detectives, Maj. Sergeant Sumarto, and the
suspect were shot.

City Police Detectives Chief Col. Gories Mere said yesterday:
"The officers and the suspect were involved in a shooting during
the raid, in which detective Sumarto and suspect Iwan were shot."

According to Gories, the two are still alive.

The suspect has been transferred to a Jakarta hospital and is
being treated for a leg injury. The wounded detective is still
undergoing medical treatment at Dr. Sutomo hospital in the East
Java capital of Surabaya for a serious lung wound, said Gories.

Shots were fired at police as they raided the house in which
they suspected the men involved in the earlier fatal shooting
were hiding.

Due to the suspects' resistance, the detectives were unable to
handcuff the other five members of the group who called
themselves as Arek (local word for Boys).

Gories said the men even used a child to shield them as they
ran away from the house.

"It was difficult for the detectives to catch or aim their
guns at the criminals," he said. "The arrested man was shot in
the leg because he was left behind by his group."

The five, identified as Pe, Mu, Ar, Ban, and Bd, and other
members of the group are still being hunted by the remaining
members of the team Jakarta detectives.

Tracing

Gories said that the team was assigned late last month to
trace the group, who had allegedly stolen two kilograms of gold
and killed First Sgt. Witono in the Grogol robbery on Aug. 1.

Witono, 27, was killed instantly while on assignment escorting
a private company employee who was transporting the gold from
Pasar Grogol to Roxy Mas. Witono was a member of the elite
brigade mobile police unit.

He was shot twice in the abdomen and wounded in the left hand
by a machete.

Police arrested two suspects, Prasodjo and Sudarto, in
Surabaya and Indramayu, approximately four weeks after the
incident.

Police suspected Prasodjo had slashed Witono with the machete
which was confiscated in the raid on his hideout.

But Prasodjo and Sudarto both denied slashing and shooting
Witono, Gories said.

"Prasodjo said his friends did not intend to shot Witono.
Witono was shot because he refused to give them the gold and
tried to fight the gang instead," Gories said.

The three arrested suspects confessed during interrogation
that eight of them had been informed about the gold delivery and
had hatched a plan to steal the gold.

Gories said the suspects confessed that they had used one car
and four motorcycles to ambush Witono and the gold shop employee,
Sonny. Sonny is now under police protection as a witness.

The suspects said that the two men in the car were meant to
block Witono's path while the four on motorcycles were to
surround him, Gories said.

He said the police had so far confiscated a Yamaha RX King
motorcycle, a sickle and a machete from Prasodjo and Sudarto, all
of which were believed to have been used in the gold robbery on
Jl. Dr. Susilo, Grogol, West Jakarta.

Police had also confiscated 25 FN .9 mm caliber bullets, five
Colt .38 mm caliber bullets, and a military jacket, he said.

Gories, however, refused to comment on the finding of a
military jacket which could cast suspicion on the involvement of
either police or military personnel in the case.

"I don't want to comment on that issue. Let's just wait for
the final investigation," he said.

It is still unclear whether the confiscated bullets match the
ones used to shoot officer Witono. (cst)