Wed, 31 May 2000

Two armed robberies leave one dead, three injured

JAKARTA (JP): The capital on Tuesday witnessed at least two armed robberies in which one person was killed and three others were injured by gunshot.

Police detectives were busy until late in the evening trying to locate the suspects.

The first robbery involved a gang of six men, who attempted to steal a motorcycle from a house belonging to First Sgt. Nuri Wahyudi, 28, a member of the Army Special Force (Kopassus), on Jl. Buni, Munjul village in Cipayung, East Jakarta, in the morning hours.

"Six robbers on three motorcycles tried to take off with Nuri's Honda Astrea Supra motorcycle but were spotted by the owner," East Jakarta Police chief of detectives Capt. Agus Irianto said.

"Nuri took out his FN gun and managed to shoot two of the suspects, who were on one of the motorcycles. One was shot in the stomach and the left leg, while the other was shot in the back. The bullet pierced his heart and he later died," the officer explained.

According to Agus, local residents, alerted about the attempted robbery in their neighborhood, immediately set fire to the suspects' motorcycle.

Nuri was questioned by the East Jakarta Police at the station.

The dead suspect was identified as Wawan bin Acun, 34. His injured alleged accomplice, Soma Wijaya, 35, is being treated at the police hospital in Kramatjati.

"All six suspects broke into Nuri's home in an effort to steal the officer's motorcycle," Agus said.

From the two suspects, police confiscated a large screwdriver, a large pair of scissors, seven T-shape keys used to turn on a vehicle's ignition and a dagger.

Separately, four armed men on four motorcycles managed to get away with Rp 160 million after firing several shots at the victims and the windows of a money changer on Jl. Mughni in Setiabudi, South Jakarta.

Two employees of PT Prabu Kasih Widita money changer, Suhada and Mulyono, were severely wounded in the thigh and calf during the robbery.

Suhada, 37, recalled that he and three colleagues had just arrived in the office yard after changing an amount of U.S. dollars to local currency at state Bank Mandiri branch office on Jl. MT Haryono.

"We did not know we were followed by the robbers. As we got off our motorcycle in the office yard, three robbers approached and demanded money from me and Mulyono," he said at Jakarta Hospital, South Jakarta.

Mulyono said in the same hospital that two of the robbers, who wore helmets, pointed handguns at him and Suhada.

"I tried to hit him with my helmet but he quickly shot me in the right calf," he said.

The robbers also sprayed and the glass doors with bullets, shattering them, he added.

While he fell to the ground, one of the robbers snatched the envelope containing Rp 100.4 million from him and another envelope containing Rp 60 million from Wiyono, another staffer.

"We carried a total of Rp 260.4 million. Suhada was able to save Rp 100 million," Mulyono said.

The robbers sped away after committing the crime, said witness Tuti, a staffer at nearby PT Prabu Pura Motor car dealer. (ylt/asa/06)