Two armed robbers arrested by Metro Jaya Police in Cikarang

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Polda Metro Jaya arrested two suspects in a case of theft with violence or begal using firearms in the Cikarang area, Bekasi Regency, West Java. The Director of General Criminology (Reserse Kriminal Umum) of Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Pol Iman Imanuddin, said the actions of the two suspects identified as JF and AS went viral on social media. ‘For the two suspects, when our officers on the ground were about to arrest them, they were carrying firearms, so with public safety and officer safety in mind, we took firm and measured action,’ he said. He explained the force will not hesitate to take decisive action to safeguard the public and the officers, particularly against begal in Polda Metro Jaya’s jurisdiction. ‘Nevertheless, field duties will continue to respect Human Rights,’ he said. He added that during preliminary checks on the way to arrest, the gang had operated in six other locations across East Jakarta and Bekasi. For their actions, both suspects are charged with multiple articles: Article 477 (robbery with aggravating circumstances), Article 479 (robbery with violence), and Article 306 (illegal weapons and explosives), Criminal Code (KUHP) with a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment. Iman said the rapid arrest success was aided by active community involvement, high appreciation to the neighbourhood watch posts (Poskamling) and social media activists who promptly provided information about security disturbances. In addition, to anticipate widespread begal and street crime, Polda Metro Jaya together with Kodam Jaya are committed to increasing preventive measures through medium-to-large scale security patrols. ‘The synergistic patrols between the resort police and Kodim in Polda Metro Jaya’s jurisdiction will target hotspots and times based on safety and order analysis and evaluation,’ Iman said. The police stressed that these patrols have no set end time and will continue indefinitely to provide residents of Jakarta and surrounding areas with a sense of security.