Travel agency loses $3,000 in robbery

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta Police detectives are searching for the robber or robbers who broke into the director's office of Batavia Travel agency in the Wisma Harun shop-house complex on Jl. Raya Pasar Minggu.

The thieves escaped with a safe containing US$3,000 in the robbery, which took place at around 8 a.m. on Monday.

The chief of the South Jakarta Police crime unit, First. Lt. Sandi Nugroho, said on Monday the agency belonged to Paulina M., who is currently in Bali on business.

"We suspect this was an inside job. The screwdriver used to break open the door of the director's office belonged to the agency. It was located in a drawer in the office, and the drawer is usually unlocked.

"The door was broken open from the inside, not the outside. The thief could have hidden inside the office until it closed," Sandi said.

The robbers escaped with $3,000, official documents from the travel agency, a Bank Lippo checkbook and a tape recorder.

Police have questioned two witnesses, identified as office boys Adi Supriadi, 22, and Dedi Hartadi, 22.

"There are two people we still need to question, but have not been able to get ahold of. Abdullah, a former office boy, has been put on temporary leave," Sandi said.

He said Abdullah injured his leg in a train accident last December.

"Abdullah was put on leave from the office until the wound heals. The other is Boceh, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver who is trusted by the agency's staffers to take them around," Sandi said.

He added that "Boceh knows his way in and out the agency". (ylt)