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)