Two police, civilian held for detainee's escape
Two police, civilian held for detainee's escape
JAKARTA (JP): Two police officers and a civilian have been
arrested over the escape of an alleged heroin smuggler from the
National Police detention center last month.
The National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo said the two
middle-rank officers and a civilian employee at the National
Police headquarters were on duty when the alleged smuggler,
Limbane Cosmo, a South African passport holder, escaped from his
cell on Feb. 2.
"We have interrogated them and know how Cosmo escaped," Dibyo
said after a meeting on Alert Centers at Jakarta Military Command
headquarters.
The police believe Cosmo is still in Indonesia, he said.
But the police were ready cooperate with the International
Police to arrest the suspect if he had gone abroad, Dibyo said.
Dibyo refused to name the three suspects or give their roles
in arranging Cosmo's escape.
The three-star general also declined to say what punishment
the three suspects could get for their offenses.
He said the police were still investigating the role of a
narcotics syndicate in the escape of the alleged heroin smuggler.
Cosmo arrived at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport from Bangkok via Singapore on Jan. 8 with 320 grams of
heroin in 25 capsules.
He swallowed 11 of the capsules, leaving 14 capsules in his
pocket. Customs and Excise officers found them when he collapsed
in the immigration area after arrival.
"Some of the capsules probably leaked causing him to
collapse," an officer said at the time. Cosmo was taken to the
Kramatjati Police Hospital before being removed to National
Police detention center.
It was the second escape of an alleged heroin smuggler from
police custody.
A Ghanaian, suspected of smuggling 650 grams of heroin,
escaped from City Police detention in October 1995 before being
recaptured in April last year.
No police officer was punished for helping him escape.
The Ghanaian, Ibrahim S., was found guilty by Jakarta District
Court on Dec. 14, and is serving 20 years in jail.
Yesterday's meeting on Alert Centers, which was closed to
reporters, was sponsored by the City Military Command.
The meeting, attended by the Army Chief of Staff Gen. R.
Hartono and City Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso, was on
promoting the existence of the seven alert centers in Jakarta,
Bekasi and Tangerang.
Hartono briefed the audience, including the chairman of
Jakarta's chapter of Golkar, Tadjus Sobirin, and dangdut king
Rhoma Irama, about the use of the Alert centers.
Sutiyoso said people could dial 122 for free in cases of
emergency, and they would be connected to the nearest of the
seven alert centers.
"We have received many reports. We appreciate the reports and
will process them further," Sutiyoso said.
He said the military command had cooperated with the state-
owned telecommunication company PT Telkom to install the
telephone number.
Sutiyoso said Telkom had donated eight computers, and modems,
to setup a data telecommunications system. "The military command
can use the system to communicate with the military districts."
(jun)