Thugs clean out rich man's house

TANGERANG (JP): Police are tracking down five men suspected of robbing a businessman of 400 grams of jewelry, a Rolex gold- plated wristwatch, a 29-inch TV set and Rp 7 million in cash early Tuesday.

One family member got a cut on her finger after she tried to repulse the armed robbers who forced their way into the house at about 3 a.m., Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col. Aryanto Boedihardjo said.

Sahroni, 67, said the family became aware of what was happening only after the strangers woke the family up and threatened them with sharp weapons.

He said all members of the family were taken into a room in the Cikupa village house and were forced to tell the robbers where they stored their valuables. The men also cut the telephone line.

"The suspects took away all the stolen goods in an Isuzu Panther van. But I couldn't get the registration number," said Sahroni.

He said one of the suspects had a cellular phone.

"The cell phone rang when they were busy putting the goods into the car. They immediately sped off. Maybe the call was from another accomplice who told them to get out of the house," he said. (41/cst)