Three maids jailed for jewelry theft

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced three housemaids on Wednesday to three months in prison for stealing jewelry worth Rp 2 billion (US$181,820) belonging to their employers.

Presiding judge Djafni Djamal said defendants Ai Nurhasanah, 28, Harini Samala, 26, and Sumarni, 24, were found guilty of stealing the jewelry which was buried by their employers at their residence on Jl. Purwakarta in the plush area of Menteng in July.

"Although the victims had already revoked their report to the police, the defendants who admitted to the crimes, still have to be punished," Djamal told the court.

Prosecutor H.P. Silitonga earlier asked the court to sentence the three women to six months in prison.

Silitonga said the jewelry, in the form of gems, bracelets, necklaces and rings, belonged to Farida Astar and Sitti Venry Firnasya, the wife and daughter of Ibrahim Astar Siregar, a former finance director at the state-owned electricity company PT PLN.

Concerned about possible renewed rioting in their area, the Siregars decided to bury the jewelry in their backyard on July 10, the prosecutor said.

He said Farida asked the family's servant, Mukhid, to put the jewelry inside a pail and bury it under a tree in the compound at 8:30 p.m.

Housemaid Sumarni, who happened to find out about the buried jewels, told her two friends. The three then planned the theft and dug up the jewelry at 3 a.m. on the next day, Silitonga said.

The defendants then kept the jewelry at Sumarni's rented house in the Kemayoran area.

Farida, who felt uncomfortable about her family's idea, asked Mukhid to dig up the jewelry in the evening.

Amazed by the disappearance of the jewelry, Farida's daughter Sitti then reported the case to the Menteng police, the prosecutors said.

The three were then arrested and the jewelry found on the next day.

After hearing the verdict on Wednesday, the defendants burst into tears.

Without lawyers to defend them, they told the court that they accepted the judge's decision.

Since they were detained at the Pondok Bambu Women Penitentiary in East Jakarta shortly after the arrest, they now have to spend only another month in the jail before their release.

Three witnesses had earlier submitted their written testimonies to the court against the defendants.

After reading the verdict, judge Djamal suggested the three maids ask their employer Farida, who attended the trial with her husband, for forgiveness.

Farida and husband Ibrahim remained silent, refusing to answer the reporters questions. The couple left the court in a hurry. (jun)