Truck stashed with TV sets hijacked

JAKARTA (JP): A group of unidentified people hijacked a container truck carrying television sets on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road on Thursday evening.

The container, with a still unknown number of TV sets, was loaded at PT Sanyo Electronics in the Cikarang industrial complex and was being transported to Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta, where it was to be loaded onto a ship for export.

The police have so far not been able to trace the whereabouts of the truck and its cargo.

Police said the truck's lone driver was suddenly blocked at about 7 p.m. by a Toyota Kijang van at the toll road in West Cikarang.

The driver, who police did not identify, could not tell the number of the people in the van as the hijackers covered his eyes after pulling him out of the truck.

The hijackers then dragged the driver back into the vehicle. The hijackers apparently headed back south toward the West Java capital of Bandung.

Along the way, the truck driver was beaten before being dumped on a deserted road by the hijackers.

None of Sanyo Electronics' executives could be reached for comment. They said that the transportation of the TV sets was handled by Bekasi Container (BCT).

However, BCT's general affairs manager, Herman, refused to reveal any details about the loss of the container.

"Sanyo's stolen container is only one of our many containers, we're still looking into this matter and are awaiting further confirmation from Sanyo," he said.

In previous crimes of this nature, drivers have been involved in the theft. (03)